Updated RCS version 3.1 enhances voice message clarity through new codec support, improving your messaging experience.
GSMA Announces RCS Universal Profile v3.1 Update, Enhancing Messaging Experience
The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has unveiled the latest update to its Rich Communications Services (RCS) standard, the Universal Profile (UP) v3.1. This update brings significant improvements to audio quality, reliability, and media quality, bringing RCS closer to parity with Over-the-Top (OTT) messaging apps.
The UP v3.1 update marks a milestone as the first large-scale messaging service to support interoperable End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) between client implementations from different providers. This collaborative effort between global stakeholders is aimed at providing enhanced security and privacy for RCS users.
One of the key enhancements in UP v3.1 is the full support for the xHE-AAC audio codec. This codec efficiently compresses audio, maintaining high quality even at lower bitrates. As a result, voice notes, sound clips, and other audio messages sent and received through RCS chats will be clearer and more natural, with minimal artifacts.
The update also focuses on improving connectivity and reliability. By refining the client onboarding process and integrating with OS-level push notification services, RCS clients no longer need to maintain constant connections to operator services. This leads to reduced battery drain, improved messaging reliability, especially under poor network conditions or when switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data. This means fewer failed messages and smoother user experiences.
In addition, UP v3.1 boosts file transfer security and enhances spam reporting capabilities, supporting safer, richer multimedia exchanges. The update also introduces support for deep links, allowing users to directly open conversations, further streamlining interactions.
The v3.0 update, which debuted in March, introduced E2EE capabilities for RCS. Originally, Google decided to bring end-to-end encryption to RCS users. Apple incorporated the RCS standard on iPhones with Android devices, but their initial integration lacked encryption capabilities.
The GSMA's blog post about the update was written by Tom van Pelt. The update is expected to make the RCS experience more reliable, especially in challenging coverage zones, and improve the quality of both speech and non-speech use cases.
With these upgrades, RCS is set to deliver better voice messaging quality, more robust network connections, and stronger media handling while maintaining the secure and business-ready framework established in UP 3.0. The GSMA's v3.1 update focuses on improving media quality, service flexibility, and global scalability.
Technology advancements in data-and-cloud-computing are instrumental in the GSMA's latest update to the RCS Universal Profile (UP) v3.1, enabling enhanced audio quality, reliability, and media quality for RCS messaging. This update leverages cutting-edge data processing and storage techniques, working towards bridging the gap between RCS and Over-the-Top (OTT) messaging apps.
