Subject: The Need for an Official Android API to Unlock the Full Potential of RCS Messaging

Dear Sameer Samat,
President of Android, Google Play, and Devices,

We write to you on behalf of billions of Android users who deserve a unified and seamless messaging experience. This plea is more than a technical request—it is a call for equity, innovation, and trust in the Android ecosystem.

Imagine a world where texting is as seamless across platforms as it is within them, where interoperability empowers users instead of fragmenting them. That world is almost here, thanks to RCS (Rich Communication Services), a technology capable of revolutionizing messaging by offering features like high-resolution image sharing, read receipts, typing indicators, and end-to-end encryption.

However, this dream is hindered by a glaring omission: the lack of a standardized Android API for RCS messaging. Currently, RCS is only natively supported through Google Messages, leaving third-party apps reliant on reverse-engineering—a process fraught with inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and potential vulnerabilities.

This affects billions of people. Android users span the globe, from families staying connected across continents to businesses managing essential communications. A robust RCS API would allow third-party apps to embrace this modern standard without resorting to unreliable workarounds, empowering developers to innovate and users to choose the messaging app that best suits their needs.

Even Apple has adopted RCS for global interoperability, acknowledging its value in bridging the divide between messaging platforms. Yet, Android—a platform known for its openness—has restricted fair access to this transformative technology.

Consider the impact of this oversight:

• Developers are constrained. Without an official API, app creators must reverse-engineer solutions that are fragile and inconsistent.
• Users face limitations. Android, celebrated for its diversity of apps, loses some of that richness when one core feature—modern messaging—remains siloed.
• The ecosystem suffers. Interoperability is the future of communication, and Android users risk being left behind.

The solution lies in your hands, Mr. Samat. As President of Android, Google Play, and Devices, you hold the authority to prioritize this change. By creating an Android API for RCS messaging, you would unlock the true potential of this standard, fostering innovation, trust, and a richer user experience across the ecosystem.

We urge you to act now. This is not just about coding a feature—it is about fulfilling Android’s promise of openness, inclusivity, and global connectivity.

Let us move forward together. Join us in calling for a fair and functional API for RCS messaging. Stand with billions of Android users who trust Google to prioritize their needs.