Is there any FOSS alternative messenger that handles SMS and RCS? Supposedly RCS is an open standard, but I am not aware of any FOSS messenger that has it. I’d like to move away from google messenger, but there doesn’t look like there is an option just yet.

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
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    4 days ago

    No such thing.

    Google has not, and probably never will, make it accessible to outside developers.

    Since they decided to play host for rcs, they essentially own it now.

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
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      4 days ago

      Yup. It’s an open standard, but that doesn’t mean they will let your client connect.

      • deadcream
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        4 days ago

        Even it wasn’t Google, you can’t self-host RCS backend. So it would have been carrier’s servers or someone else’s. Given that end-to-end encryption is not a part of the standard yet (and it won’t be mandated anyway), having an open source client would offer no privacy benefits.

  • DARbarian@fedia.io
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    4 days ago

    I went through this same process recently. Since Apple was finally implementing RCS, I was looking forward to my iPhone friends complaining less, but unfortunately it seems like Google pretty much has an iron grip on RCS as even with Samsung Messaging or Beeper / Sunbird, I’m pretty sure you need a Google Account

    • Blisterexe@lemmy.zip
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      4 days ago

      as a beeper user, i can confirm that the rcs feature of google messages does not work w/o google play services

  • desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    4 days ago

    honestly the lack of open source software for volte and RCS is frustrating and makes it almost impossible to run mainline Linux on a phone

  • VintageGenious@sh.itjust.works
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    4 days ago

    To be honest RCS doesn’t bring anything useful, SMS are helpful because they don’t rely on wifi network, RCS will prevent you for receiving urgent message. Everything RCS does, other messaging apps like Signal do better

  • trixter313@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    This is the closest I’ve been able to find - JMP which is used in Cheogram, a FOSS XMPP app, was working on it in May but I messaged them about it recently and there hasn’t been much development on it unfortunately. https://blog.jmp.chat/b/may-newsletter-2024

    They allow you to have VOIP numbers and even a data only SIM with no KYC and pay in crypto if you want so it’s a pretty cool project overall. Maybe if more people message them about RCS it will become a higher priority.