Google Messages and Duo will stop working on ‘uncertified’ Android devices

It appears that two of Google’s key products – Messages and Duo – will soon stop working on ‘uncertified’  Android devices. But what are certified and uncertified Android devices though? To put it briefly, Google has its own certification program for devices that adhere to its Android security and permissions guidelines, do not ship with any pre-installed malware, and come with Google’s own suite of security features as part of the Google Play Protect service. And oh, they also offer access to essential Google servies such as Google Play, and Google’s own apps. Right now, HUAWEI’s newer phones would fall under the uncertified category, as they rely on its own HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) ecosystem instead of Google’s solution. 

Now, back to the departure of Google Messages and Duo from uncertified devices. As per strings spotted in the Google Messages apps, the app will no longer work on such devices once March ends. “On March 31, Messages will stop working on uncertified devices, including this one,” the string says it in a clear and comprehensible fashion (via XDA-Developers).

HUAWEI and Honor devices with GMS are the main victims here

In the past, Google has allowed uncertified Android phones to sideload the app and use it without a hitch. And since the app doesn’t require users to sign-in with their Google account, there was barely any major trouble here. However, it appears that the honeymoon period is finally over, as the Google Messages app will simply stop working on such devices. It appears Google wants to ensure that security and privacy of users’ conversation is not jeopardised, now that it is doubnling down on its RCS efforts.

But Google Messages is not the only app that will become non-functional on uncertified Andriod devices. As spotted by the folks over at 9to5Google, the Google Duo app has started notifying users that the app won’t work on their uncertified Android device. “Duo is going away soon. Because you’re using an unsupported device, Duo will unregister your account on this device soon,” says the warning message. Google will give a grace period of 14 days after March 31 to let users download all their data such as videos and call logs though.  

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Google’s Messages app gets reactions, sticker suggestions and media editor for RCS chat

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Google has today announced a host of new features for its Messages app in its bid to present it as a viable iMessage equivalent for Android. The new features arriving in the Messages app such as reactions and sticker suggestions are, however, only available for devices on which RCS chat is enabled.

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Taking about the new features, the first one is reactions. As the name suggests, you can react to a message by choosing from a set of animated reactions rather than typing a response. To send a reaction, just long press on a message and tap on the appropriate reaction.

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The second new feature coming to Messages is sticker suggestions, which works in tandem with the Smart Reply feature, provided you have enabled it. Now, when you receive a message, sticker suggestions will automatically appear alongside the text-based suggestions.

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Also, when users click an image with the in-app camera interface, they’ll now see an edit button that will allow them to add text or scribble on it with a variety of brushes. Plus, if you want to give your messages a more personal touch, you’ll now be able to send an audio response by just holding the new microphone button sitting in the compose bar.

Source: Google Blog

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Google Messages might soon bring end-to-end encryption for RCS

RCS is definitely convenient, but aside from limited availability, one key area where it lags behind instant messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram is support for end-to-encryption as a privacy measure. But it appears that the Google Messages app will soon enable end-to-end encryption for RCS messages.

The latest build of Google Messages (v6.2.031) app contains strings in its code that hint at the arrival of end-to-end encryption for RCS messages. The strings make it clear that users can send end-to-end encrypted RCS messages, but in case their connection is poor, they can fall back to the legacy SMS or MMS standard.

However, SMS or MMS won’t be end-to-end encrypted. Aside from text and media, users will also be able to able to send their location via an end-to-end encrypted message. But these findings come from strings spotted in the code, so they may or may not be implemented in the future, something that is subject to a lot of technical parameters.

Via: XDA-Developers

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