Verizon deploys "My Numbers" feature for five lines on one device and announces RCS early 2019 support

Verizon launched Friday My Numbers, a new service that allows customers to manage up to five lines, including four virtual phone numbers, on a single smartphone via a stand-alone application. The largest wireless carrier in the United States and its subscribers have separately announced plans to roll out RCS text messaging support early in 2019.

My numbers

Verizon has announced a new service for Android and iOS devices called "My Numbers", which allows you to add four additional lines to a single device for a total of five active lines.

Each line costs $ 15 per month and includes an unlimited number of calls and text messages, as well as its own voice mailbox and text messaging service, all available in the My Numbers app. Outgoing calls are limited to numbers in the United States, although incoming calls can be from domestic and international destinations, making them ideal for users who communicate with people living abroad.

My numbers are available for professional and personal lines, but prepaid accounts are omitted.

"My Numbers is a great solution for entrepreneurs, busy customers and those who simply want to have convenient and flexible phone numbers without having to carry a separate phone," said Keena Grigsby, Product Marketing Manager for Verizon.

Apple includes support for dual SIM in iOS 12.1 for the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max, which allows two lines to be linked to a single device. The hardware solution can also be used to transport separate personal and business lines, or a separate line when traveling, on a single device. Until now, no major US carrier has added support for this feature.

SCR

At an event hosted by the GSMA this week, Verizon announced plans to begin deploying initial support for Rich Communications Services, the apparent heir to SMS, next year. The edge.

At the event, Aparna Khurjekar, Verizon's senior vice president of consumer products, announced that RCS would arrive "early 2019."

Rich Commnications Services, or RCS, is the new messaging standard that will inevitably replace SMS when carriers and handset manufacturers begin to implement the updated protocol. There have been many revisions over the years, but global carriers have finally come together to support the universal profile in 2016.

This will have less impact on iOS users who primarily use iMessage as a medium of conversation. Android users have a lot to wait as Google plans to use RCS Chat as the basis of their own messaging system, which would include additional features such as typing indicators, read receipts, print formats, and more. larger media and group discussions.

So far, Apple has focused on keeping iMessage tied to its ecosystem and has its own benefits, such as full end-to-end encryption.

Once operators update their systems to support the "Universal Profile", RCS Chat will allow messages to easily cross operators between operators worldwide. Currently in the United States, Verizon and AT & T use proprietary systems for their texts. By adopting the same standard, it is a way to ensure that users of any device on any operator have a consistent set of features.

It is unlikely that the iPhone will get assistance for RCS at launch, although the service may be adopted in a few years.