Apps

The future of Android messaging gets support from carriers worldwide

Ready to battle with iMessage

Published

April 27, 2018

Daniel Morial

Now that Google is setting aside Allo and Duo to focus on building out a suite of advanced messaging features into the core Android Messages app, it’s time for third-party players to help the search giant deliver these to users. We’re talking about telco operators and phone manufacturers around the globe.

The new unified messaging platform aptly called Google Chat uses the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard which will make it very similar to internet messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Viber. But, what will make Google Chat better among the mentioned apps is that it’s built on top of Short Message Service or SMS.

RCS is a new universal standard meant to succeed SMS and bring in IP-based messaging features like read receipts, image sharing, and file transfers, but with minimal mobile data usage. It’s going to be like iMessage of Apple devices.

It’s not only Google that’ll be upgrading to RCS because Microsoft is also a partner provider. Both Google and Microsoft will follow the GSMA’s Universal Profile, a specification that guarantees interconnection among different platforms and providers. It’s like how SMS is universally available among all GSM phones.

Here’s the list of carriers to support Google Chat:

Advanced Info Service (AIS) – Thailand
Airtel – India
América Móvil – Mexico
AT&T – USA
Axiata – Malaysia
Beeline – Russia
Bell Mobility – Canada
China Mobile – China
China Telecom – China
China Unicom – China
Claro – Latin America
Deutsche Telekom – Germany
Etisalat – UAE
Globe Telecom – Philippines
Ice – Norway
Indosat Ooredoo – Indonesia
KDDI – Japan
KPN – Netherlands
M1 Limited – Singapore
MegaFon – Russia
Millicom – Latin America and Africa
MTN Group – South Africa
MTS – Russia
NTT Docomo – Japan
Optus – Australia
Orange – France
Personal – Argentina
Play – Poland
Reliance Jio – India
Rogers – Canada
Singtel – Singapore
Smart Communications – Philippines
Sprint – USA
StarHub – Singapore
Telcel – Mexico
Tele2 – Nordic countries
Telefónica – Spain
Telenor – Norway
Telia Company – Sweden
Telkomsel – Indonesia
Telstra – Australia
Telus – Canada
TIM – Italy
T-Mobile – USA
Turkcell – Turkey
Verizon – USA
VEON – Netherlands
Vodafone – UK

And the list of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to incorporate Google Chat and other RCS messaging features:

Alcatel
ASUS
General Mobile
HTC
Lava Mobiles
Lenovo
LG
Huawei
Intex
Samsung
ZTE

With Chat, Google will finally introduce RCS into Android Messages which is pretty much what most Android phones have by default. This will make sure RCS features will be available on every Android phone — may it be budget or flagship.

Apps

ChatGPT will soon allow NSFW conversations

The platform will start age-gating users in December.

Published

October 16, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

Every day, we inch closer and closer to the strange reality of Joaquin Phoenix’s Her. Today’s AI-powered chatbots have inevitably adapted to address our more carnal desires. Some, such as those offered by xAI, are even explicitly designed to only flirt with the user. Soon, ChatGPT will offer the same thing: a way for adult users to… well, be adults.

Through a post on X, OpenAI’s Sam Altman reiterated ChatGPT’s impending drive to introduce age-gating in December. Keeping younger users from the platform will open ChatGPT to more “mature” conversations. Altman specifically names “erotica” as one of the potential uses of a looser platform.

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have…

— Sam Altman (@sama) October 14, 2025

Additionally, ChatGPT is rolling out an update which will make the platform more personable and comparable to actual conversations. This includes using more emojis or talking like a friend.

The platform is also adding more safeguards when it comes to mental health issues, given that more people are using it as a makeshift therapist. Recently, Altman made sure that ChatGPT treated mental health with more delicateness. To some, especially those without such issues, the platform became more unusable. To bring back how it used to be, the platform will add better tools to detect whether the user is in “mental distress.”

Finally, OpenAI is implementing a backend solution to mental health by creating a new council of researchers and experts to accurately determine the impact of AI on mental health. Currently, it’s still unknown how much this new technology is helping (or harming) our wellbeing.

Apps

YouTube is getting a redesign

The update looks a bit like Liquid Glass.

Published

October 15, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

What’s your favorite YouTube design? I still hold a bit of nostalgia for the silver era, but the practicality of the current minimalist design is remarkable. Now, it’s time for a change. YouTube is refreshing its design starting this week.

Much like Apple with Liquid Glass, YouTube is going for a more transparent approach. The new design lets more content through the interface. It also features rounder buttons, in contrast to today’s blockier features.

The comments section is also getting a bit of an upgrade to allow for more structure between original posts and replies.

For engagement with actual videos, some videos will now have custom like animations. The update gives an example of a music video which puts out a musical note when liked. Adding a video to a custom playlist or the Watch Later list is also more natural.

YouTube is rolling out these updates starting this week. It will also be available for web, mobile, and TV users.

Apps

ChatGPT Go now available in the Philippines, more Asian countries

Access to more popular ChatGPT features for an affordable subscription plan

Published

October 9, 2025

GadgetMatch

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT Go in 16 Asian countries, including the Philippines. This is the most cost-friendly subscription option yet at just PhP 300 (~ US$ 5.15).

This development gives users in the serviced regions greater access to ChatGPT’s advanced capabilities at a more affordable price.

To get started, simply visit chat.openai.com or download the ChatGPT mobile app, then create an account and select ChatGPT Go as your plan. The payment process is simple.

On the other hand, those who already have accounts may simply upgrade to Go.

The launch comes amid strong growth adoption of OpenAI’s tools in the Philippines. In fact, the country ranks among the top five countries for weekly ChatGPT users in Asia.

In addition, the top five use cases locally are tutoring, editing, personal writing, “how to” advice, and creative ideation.

At PhP 300 a month, ChatGPT Go subscribers will gain access to ChatGPT’s most popular features, including higher message limits, image generation, file uploads, and memory.

These are all powered by GPT-5, OpenAI’s most-advanced model.

Specifically, here’s the perks for the Go plan compared to free:

10x higher message limits
10x more image generations per day
10x more file or image uploads per day
2x longer memory for personalized responses

ChatGPT Go will join existing subscription options Plus (PhP 1,100) and Pro (PhP 9,900).

Plus is for subscribers who need more advanced thinking models and features like deep research, agent mode, and Sora video creation.

Meanwhile, Pro is for professionals, researchers, or organizations who need enterprise-grade scale, pro-level reasoning, and the most advanced features.