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Samsung joins Google in RCS shaming Apple
(www.theverge.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Any open source Android RCS SMS apps then?
However access to each carrier gateway is very guarded ...
Probably. Have a look on FDroid.
You are confusing open source with free-as-in-price. Open source is a development philosophy, not a price tag.
The "Free" in "Free and Open Source Software" is, famously, "free as in speech, not free as in beer."