New RCS version brings upgraded voice notes and better connectivity

RCS has gained many new features and improvements in recent years. The new release now makes things simpler if you’re into sending voice notes. The GSMA has announced the release of RCS Universal Profile 3.1, which brings upgraded voice note capabilities. It also offers reliable connectivity in areas with poor network coverage.

RCS Universal Profile 3.1 offers upgraded audio messaging capabilities

The new Universal Profile 3.1 supports the xHE-AAC audio codec. This enables high-quality voice notes and other audio clips. The previous RCS release also supported the xHE-AAC codec, but GSMA mentioned that the initial release only supported decoding, while the latest Universal Profile 3.1 also supports encoding. This, in simpler terms, means that you can now send and receive higher-quality audio clips instead of only receiving them.

More resilient to network changes

In addition to upgraded voice notes, the new Universal Profile 3.1 release is also said to improve general connectivity. In response to a question from Android Authority, the GSMA clarified that up until now, RCS clients required a permanently active connection to the RCS network. With the new release, it would be “possible to take that down, trigger the network to send a push notification when it has something to send to the client.”

Clients would not have to update the network whenever their connectivity changes. This means RCS will act more like instant messaging apps like Telegram or WhatsApp.

This new release comes months after the GSMA announced Universal Profile 3.0. We’ve seen various RCS-related improvements in Google Messages this year. Some of which include labels for contacts with RCS, a delete for everyone option, notification snoozing, and the ability to message yourself. There’s also evidence to suggest RCS messaging may soon gain Google Gemini integration. It’s reported in May that RCS hit 1 billion messages a day, thanks to Apple bringing RCS support in iOS 18.