Galaxy S9, S9+ Messages Chatbot Support Appears In Leak

Samsung's Messages app on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will soon support chatbots. Screenshots of the new capability have appeared ahead of its arrival; they show "Chatbots" listed in Messages' upper menu alongside "Conversations" and "Contacts." The new feature is made possible via Rich Communications Services (RCS), the protocol that is essentially set to replace SMS with a richer experience.

Screenshots of the feature were acquired by XDA via one of its recognized contributors. The support appears to have already arrived for some Galaxy S9 and S9+ users on AT&T's network, though it's reasonable to assume we'll see it show up for handset owners on the other carriers, too.

Several chatbots appeared as supported with Samsung Messages, including HereWeGo, CNN, 1-800-Flowers Assistant, SkyScanner, Style Inspire, Walgreens, and more. As with chatbots on Facebook Messenger and other apps, users can interact with the bots to get information, check order statuses, and more.

It's possible we'll see the same chatbot support arrive via newly announced Chat, the effort Google paused Allo to work on. Chat will likewise be based on RCS, hopefully revolutionizing Android Messages, though without the same security appeal as encryption-based apps.

There's no word on when chatbot support will roll out to Samsung users. However, the tipster who shared the screenshots managed to get access by installing a leaked version of Android Oreo with the May Security Patch, so it's possible we'll see official support show up some time this month.

SOURCE: XDA