Google coders have created a new app Chat, which becomes a rival to both WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage. On Friday, the tech giant announced that it has launched a free messaging service.
Google’s new messenger will be available on Android, of course, the Google-owned operating system that runs almost every non-Apple smartphone on the market will be a perfect base for the new app Chat.
Google’s messaging system Chat works similarly to traditional SMS text messages but will notify senders when the recipient has read their message and show if they are typing, like common messengers. According to Google, its new app supports high-resolution pictures and group chats, like WhatsApp, as well as features like Gifs. It will be available on Android phones such as those from Samsung, LG and Huawei.
The experts suggest that innovative Chat will kill so-called over-the-top (OTT) services because Google’s messenger is quite different. Users will not need to download another chat app or set up a new account. Instead of using OTT, it is based on rich communication services (RCS), a successor to SMS (short message standard), which has been used by people all over the world since 1992 and is still the fallback for most.
Anil Sabharwal, Google’s lead on the project, said:
“We don’t believe in taking the approach that Apple does [with iMessage]. We are fundamentally an open ecosystem. We believe in working with partners. We believe in working with our OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] to be able to deliver a great experience,”
he added while talking to Verge.
