Android Messages to let users text from the web: Report

Google is planning to introduce a web interface for its SMS application "Android Messages" that would let users pair their smartphones with a computer for all of their texting needs.

"There's a new version of Android Messages rolling out for the phones. So far, we haven't seen any significant changes to the UI, but huge things are happening under the surface," tech website Android Police reported late on Thursday.

The codename for this messaging feature is called "Ditto" but it looks like it will be labelled "Messages for web" when it is officially rolled out.

"Users will be guided to visit a website on the computer they want to pair with the phone, then simply scan a QR code. They will be be able to send and receive messages in the web interface and it will link with the device to do the actual SMS/MMS/RCS communication through their network carrier," the report added.

The tech giant is also reportedly mulling to offer its own enhanced chat features to work with RCS messaging.

Rich Communication Services or RCS is a communication protocol between mobile-telephone carriers and between phone and carrier, aiming at replacing SMS messages with a text-message system that is more rich, provide phonebook polling and transmit in-call multimedia.

Android Messages will share the same basic setup procedure with Google Allo.

Launched in September 2016, Allo is an instant messaging mobile app developed by Google for the Android and iOS mobile Operating Systems (OS), with a web client available on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera browsers.

--IANS

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