We first announced that we were working to develop a Universal Profile for Advanced Messaging back in February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Now, just 10 months later, we have published the first release of the Universal Profile for Advanced Messaging, which will upgrade existing operator messaging services and provide users with a single, common and globally interoperable experience. The Universal Profile Release 1, which can be accessed here, includes a number of core messaging features that improve the messaging experience of smartphone users around the world such as chat, group chat, audio messaging, file transfer, video share, enriched calling, location share and live sketching. It also includes a capability discovery feature, which is interoperable between regions, and lets users know which services can be used with their contacts.
We will issue a second release early next year that will upgrade the service further by incorporating additional features such as improved messaging expressiveness, as well as other improvements such as APIs, plug-in integration and improved authentication and security. It will also introduce ‘conversational commerce’ that will allow users to interact with brands within the platform.
The Universal Profile for Advanced Messaging is currently supported by 58 operators, OEMs and OS providers worldwide. Mobile operator Sprint recently launched a service based on the Universal Profile in the United States via Google’s Messenger app to subscribers using Android. Next year, all new Android devices from Sprint will come pre-loaded with Messenger for Android.
We instigated the development of a single, open and common Universal Profile to simplify and accelerate the adoption of interoperable communications services. Through this approach, consumers will benefit from a richer and more consistent messaging experience regardless of what device or network they are on. It also removes the need to download multiple messaging apps. The profile also simplifies the process for operators who want consistency across devices and for OEMs who are expected to keep up with ever-changing standards.
Download the Universal Profile specification here.
To find out more about Advanced Messaging, download our ebook: Advanced Communications – The next generation of keeping in touch.