Keyword: im
iMessage/RCS/SMS: +1 4126829751
Instant Messaging is intended to be short messages back and forth between 2+ people using a uniformed platform. Keep in mind, that even though I might receive a an IM instantly, I might not reply immediately. However, there are some benefits that some people might find in IM that they see as better than email. This will include the communication platform for whatever the reason, and that it supports multiple people, so a group of 5 can see what everyone in the group is sending as the message.
As for personal preferences, I prefer email. I also prefer emails that are longer than a few sentences. Such short messages are intended for IM, and not email. I may or may not get back to you immediately. Next, I support 3 IM platforms. I will not install your preferred IM client because you say so. I have chosen the 3 platforms I support as they will use the same messages program, and integrated into the phone’s OS, so that is one less thing I have to manage.
SMS
SMS stands for Short Messaging Service. This is a common platform in the US, and is even more common than WhatsApp when communicating with people in the US. SMS is the only option for people that have basic phones, Kai OS phones, and some custom Android OSes that don’t use Google’s Messaging app. Therefore, until these issues are properly address, SMS will be a standard service for pretty much every carrier.
Keep in mind that SMS has a character limit. This is 160 characters. Some phones will know how to combine 2+ messages into one for display, and such devices can also send larger messages by properly splitting them up. If your SMS message is more than 160 characters, then you would be sending more than one SMS message. If you are paying for SMS, or have a limited SMS plan, then you would need to keep this into consideration.
There is also MMS (Multi-Media Services) which uses the same voice channel as SMS messages, however they are limited in the quality that you can send through SMS/MMS. This is why other technologies were developed. I do not know how many SMS messages it will take to send an MMS message, but I will inquire with your carrier if that is something you are concerned about.
RCS
RCS stands for Rich Communication Services. This is supported by most Android phones, and iPhones on select carriers. If one device supports RCS, and the other device does not, then the default will be SMS (refer to above). RCS has typing indicators (in case you are looking at the screen for someone to reply), and messages delivered notification. Also, high resolution images and videos can be sent via RCS. This is because RCS uses your data services. With that said, you must have an active data plan to send or receive RCS. If for some reason, you don’t have a data connection, your message will default to SMS with all of the restrictions inherent to SMS.
Just so you know, if you are using RCS to send text messages, you would need to send 1,000,000 characters to equal 1MB of data. Obviously, full scale images and videos cost more data, but this should give you the opportunity to discover how much data you are using. Most file managers on your phone should show the size of the file you wish to send. It is your responsibility to assure that you have the data services needed for RCS.
iMessage
iMessage is Apple’s proprietary messaging platform. When communicating with another Apple device, iMessage is used. As with RCS, you get all of the multimedia rich capabilities found in RCS, but between Apple devices. If you are using cellular devices, your iMessage ID is likely your telephone number, but you could also use the email address associated with your Apple ID. This change can be found in the Messages Settings.
Since iMessage is proprietary, and locked to Apple devices, you will not be able to send an iMessage message to someone using an Android device. If your carrier supports RCS for the iPhones, then you would be able to send RCS messages which has very much the same features that iMessages have. If you are unsure if you can send RCS on an iPhone, you would need to contact your carrier. As for iMessages, as long as you have the iMessage toggle set to on, then you would be able to use iMessage on the device you are using.