News
Vodafone UK discontinues RCS Chat: Here’s what Samsung users should do
Vodafone announced that the RCS Chat feature is being discontinued between March 15 to 31 in the UK. As Vodafone confirms that it’s stopping RCS Chat service in the UK, we are letting Samsung users know what they can do to continue using the advanced messaging service.
To find out whether you’ll be affected and what steps you’ll need to take, continue reading the story below.
Samsung Messages to get RCS support
If you use a Samsung Galaxy device, which launched after 2020, it’s expected that the company will provide a new software update, which will bring RCS support to the native Messages app. However, it’s unknown when the Samsung Messages app will get RCS support in the UK.
Well, you can continue using RCS services by switching to the Google Messages (a.k.a. Messages by Google) app. Meanwhile, do not that some older Galaxy watches may require the Samsung default messaging app to be used for SMS compatibility.
Any Android device using the Messages app
After about 48-72 hours of getting disconnected from the RCS Chat, you will be prompted to accept new Ts & Cs from Google to continue to use RCS. Accepting the Terms and conditions registers you with a Google RCS platform (Messages by Google).
Any Android devices launched before 2020
You’ll need to download Messages by Google from the Play Store to continue using RCS Chat features.
RCS Chat
Avoided by iOS, RCS is a messaging functionality, which works on top of SMS to enable futuristic chat services on Android smartphones. Using RCS, you can send long messages (over 160 characters), emojis, pictures, and videos using mobile data or WiFi.
Without RCS support, Samsung users at Vodafone can continue to send messages in the UK, but anything which would have been sent via RCS will now be sent via SMS/MMS. Notably, Vodafone cited that users may incur charges for sending pictures and videos if they are not on an Xtra plan with inclusive MMS.
Huawei is making a stunning comeback in its home ground. The company scored a 70% year-on-year growth in its smartphone sales in China in the first quarter. At the same time, sales of Apple dropped by over 19%, reports Counterpoint Research.
The report highlights that the Chinese phone maker is set to outpace Apple in China. As Apple is already facing heat, it’s alarming for all smartphone vendors including Samsung. After Apple, Huawei’s next target will be Samsung which leads the Global market.
Huawei, which was at 9.3% in the first quarter of 2023, jumped to 15.5% in Q1 this year. Apple led the Chinese market in 1Q23 with approximately 20% market share slipped to 15.7% in the first quarter of this year, dropping to the third spot in China.
Earlier, IDC pointed out that Apple is facing a market decline as it lost momentum in China. The local government’s push for local vendors is also helping Huawei to eat Apple’s market. Well, Vivo and Honor were the top two brands by market share.
“Apple’s sales were subdued during the quarter as Huawei’s comeback has directly impacted Apple in the premium segment,” said Ivan Lam, senior research analyst at Counterpoint.
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Apart from mobile, Samsung is also focusing on the PC market. The company has recently launched its new all-in-one PC “All-in-One Pro.” At the event, the VP of Intel Korea Samsung Business Division announced the intention to work with Samsung for the AI PCs market.
Galaxy AI is a hit, helping Samsung sell the Galaxy S24 series worldwide. The Korean tech giant is also bringing AI capabilities to its laptop line. Compared to smartphones, laptops, and PCs would offer way better AI features and abilities to bolster productivity.
Samsung’s All-in-One Pro features Intel’s Core Ultra AI PC processor CPU. Thanks to Intel’s external GPU, Arc, graphics performance in the all-in-one PC has also improved twofold compared to the previous generation, and power efficiency has been improved by 25%.
“In this trend where AI is present everywhere, the PC is the product that we experience directly and use for production activities,” stated Bae Tae-won.
As far as AI features are concerned, Intel is committed to offering a complimentary “AI Creator App Package” that consists of the Luminar Neo photo editing software named “Affinity” as well as the Magix video editing application “Vegas.”
Apart from Intel, Samsung also partnered with Microsoft to bring a dedicated Copilot key to the wireless keyboard of the All-in-One Pro PC. Such kind of collaborations offer deeply enhanced user experience as accessing AI-powered Copilot is just a keypress away from you.
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Good Lock
Samsung Theme Park 1.1.00.8 update released: New Functional method, features removal, and more
As promised, Samsung has released a new update for its Theme Park Good Lock Module with version 1.1.00.8. This update is rolling out to Android 14 Galaxy devices and brings new enhancements to provide a better experience.
The fresh update of the Samsung Theme Park app brings a major change to the theme application process, moving from the previous ‘APK installation method’ to a more unified ‘theme application method’ (Color Palette).
This new method is not just a name change but represents an advancement in efficiency and user experience. It promises a faster theme creation and application process, allowing users to apply their desired themes faster. Additionally, the update introduces the ability to edit and overwrite existing themes.
With this update, icons for newly installed applications will automatically align with the current icon theme to provide a consistent visual experience.
However, due to these changes, some functions have been discontinued. These include the ‘App’s theme settings’ and ‘Color palette change’ options within Theme Park. The ‘Keycap Style’ under the Keyboard settings and the ‘Folder Shape Change’ feature of the Home Screen are no longer available.
Samsung advises users to ensure that QuickStar and Keys Cafe are updated to the latest versions to maintain compatibility with Theme Park. Users will have to download a 24.6 MB package to install the Samsung Theme Park 1.1.00.8 update.
Stay up-to-date on Samsung Galaxy, One UI & Tech Stuffs by following Sammy Fans on X/Twitter. You can also discover the latest news, polls, reviews, and new features for Samsung & Google Apps, Galaxy Phones, and the One UI/Android operating system.
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