1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,480 Thanks for watching TechWiki. 2 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:02,760 Click the subscribe button, 3 00:00:02,760 --> 00:00:05,040 then enable notifications with the bell icon 4 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,540 so you won't miss any future videos. 5 00:00:07,540 --> 00:00:08,920 If you're an iPhone fan, 6 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,480 one advantage you've had for a long time 7 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:13,680 in your fanboy battles with Android users 8 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,040 is the existence of iMessage. 9 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:18,400 It's not only faster than traditional SMS, 10 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:20,680 but it also allows you to add tons of effects 11 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:22,080 and options to your texts 12 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:25,200 if your chat partner is also on iOS. 13 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,240 Android's default Messenger app is, by contrast, 14 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:30,140 your basic SMS client. 15 00:00:30,140 --> 00:00:33,440 And if you've ever received so much as a small photo over it, 16 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:35,600 you know that it can make 56K motives 17 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,660 from the ancient 1990s feel fast. 18 00:00:38,660 --> 00:00:41,360 But all of this is about to change 19 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,520 now that Google is set to push an SMS alternative 20 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:45,480 to the masses. 21 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:48,740 It's called Rich Communication Services, or chat. 22 00:00:48,740 --> 00:00:52,040 Not to be confused with the instant messaging components 23 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,060 of Hangouts that people often call Google Chat, 24 00:00:55,060 --> 00:00:57,700 or any of the other galactically confusing 25 00:00:57,700 --> 00:00:58,240 brand names that Google has been using 26 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:02,440 for text-based communication services over the years. 27 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:06,200 The main idea behind chat is to add functionality 28 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,360 that SMS doesn't currently support. 29 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,900 Not only will it remove the annoying 160-character limit, 30 00:01:11,900 --> 00:01:15,260 but it'll come with plenty of other iMessage-like features. 31 00:01:15,260 --> 00:01:18,120 You'll be able to chat with multiple people in one session, 32 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:19,520 share videos and GIFs, 33 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,280 see when the other party is typing 34 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,480 and has read your message, share files, and more. 35 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:26,580 And it'll work over a data connection 36 00:01:26,580 --> 00:01:27,700 instead of the much slower SMS. 37 00:01:27,700 --> 00:01:32,160 Unlike iMessage, though, which is a supplementary service 38 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:33,980 provided by Apple's servers, 39 00:01:33,980 --> 00:01:36,300 remember your iPhone can still send normal SMS 40 00:01:36,300 --> 00:01:39,020 to your scrub green bubble friends, 41 00:01:39,020 --> 00:01:41,940 chat is meant to be a replacement for SMS 42 00:01:41,940 --> 00:01:45,620 and therefore has to be supported by your wireless carrier. 43 00:01:45,620 --> 00:01:48,060 And although Google appears quite serious 44 00:01:48,060 --> 00:01:49,980 about building its base of partners, 45 00:01:49,980 --> 00:01:53,300 adoption by mobile networks has been relatively slow. 46 00:01:53,300 --> 00:01:56,200 But like, why is Google getting involved with this 47 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:57,160 in the first place? 48 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,980 They have their own database communications apps already, 49 00:01:59,980 --> 00:02:03,160 so why aren't they focusing on those instead? 50 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,640 Well, quite simply, they did. 51 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:07,160 But whatever the issues were, 52 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,400 branding, bugs, a lack of enticing features, 53 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:11,620 Google's various chat apps 54 00:02:11,620 --> 00:02:13,980 haven't become hits with mobile users. 55 00:02:13,980 --> 00:02:16,960 In fact, Hangouts is going to become more enterprise-focused 56 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:17,980 in the near future, 57 00:02:17,980 --> 00:02:20,120 with Google conceding that competing alternatives 58 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,220 like Facebook Messenger have simply become more popular 59 00:02:23,220 --> 00:02:24,600 with smartphone users. 60 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,000 I guess they just couldn't block Zuckerberg's store. 61 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:28,160 Oh. 62 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:29,720 So by backing chat instead, 63 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:32,600 Google can make rich messaging an integral part 64 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,600 of the Android experience for its billions of users. 65 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:37,320 Even the ones who aren't tech savvy 66 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,220 or don't think that they should have to 67 00:02:39,220 --> 00:02:41,600 install a third-party app for that, 68 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:43,340 as long as the carrier supports it. 69 00:02:43,340 --> 00:02:44,640 And just like iMessage, 70 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:46,600 if you send a message to a phone 71 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:48,660 or through a network that doesn't support chat, 72 00:02:48,660 --> 00:02:51,100 the message will simply send as SMS, 73 00:02:51,100 --> 00:02:53,040 similar to the popular iOS experience. 74 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:54,160 Sounds good then, right? 75 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,140 So when can we expect to start chatting? 76 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,520 Well, Sprint and T-Mobile in the United States 77 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:00,500 already support it, 78 00:03:00,500 --> 00:03:02,400 with carriers in the EU and Latin America 79 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,380 expect it to follow relatively soon. 80 00:03:04,380 --> 00:03:07,380 And Google says it's going to aggressively roll it out 81 00:03:07,380 --> 00:03:10,720 to the rest of the world over the next couple of years. 82 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,500 But exact timelines will depend on the effectiveness 83 00:03:13,500 --> 00:03:15,040 of Google's sales pitch to carriers 84 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,980 that chat is a worthwhile investment for their customers 85 00:03:17,980 --> 00:03:19,980 because of its broad device support. 86 00:03:19,980 --> 00:03:21,480 And that's a pretty cool pitch 87 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,000 because apparently it's not even out of the question 88 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,160 for Apple devices to support it down the road. 89 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:27,160 But, right now, Google's sales pitch to Apple is that, 90 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,140 what would that mean for iMessage? 91 00:03:29,140 --> 00:03:30,900 Personally, I have no idea, 92 00:03:30,900 --> 00:03:33,140 but don't let that stop you from engaging 93 00:03:33,140 --> 00:03:35,500 in the usual Android versus iOS flame wars 94 00:03:35,500 --> 00:03:37,980 with an extra helping of baseless speculation 95 00:03:37,980 --> 00:03:39,980 down in the comments section. 96 00:03:39,980 --> 00:03:41,540 And speaking of baseless, 97 00:03:41,540 --> 00:03:44,400 are you skeptical of the justification ISPs 98 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:48,000 and advertisers use to keep an eye on your online activity? 99 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,620 Then check out Private Internet Access VPN. 100 00:03:50,620 --> 00:03:53,440 Not only does PIA work on up to five devices at once 101 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,160 by hiding your true IP address 102 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:56,720 and allowing you to bypass 103 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:58,540 geo-restrictions and censorship 104 00:03:58,540 --> 00:04:00,640 by making you appear that you're connecting 105 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:01,760 from somewhere else, 106 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,280 it also blocks unwanted connections 107 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:05,980 to help you prevent attacks, 108 00:04:05,980 --> 00:04:08,720 auto-block traffic if the VPN disconnects, 109 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:10,840 keeps your data out of the hands of advertisers 110 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:12,900 and other snoops who are tracking your activity, 111 00:04:12,900 --> 00:04:14,400 prevents DNS leaks, 112 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,580 and even includes MACE, PIA's built-in malware blocker. 113 00:04:18,580 --> 00:04:21,020 They have apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, 114 00:04:21,020 --> 00:04:23,000 woo, and a Chrome extension. 115 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,820 And PIA has over 3,000 servers in 28 countries 116 00:04:26,820 --> 00:04:29,200 and does not log user activity. 117 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:30,040 So what are you waiting for? 118 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,680 Check them out today at the link below. 119 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:34,920 So thanks for watching, guys. 120 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:36,320 Like the crap out of this video, 121 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:37,960 subscribe, and go to the comments section 122 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:40,600 to tell us what subjects you want us to cover in the future. 123 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:41,440 That's it.