Google's Rich Communication Services (RCS) has allowed users to access the Google proprietary Gemini AI on flights without the use of Wi-Fi and having to burn a hole in your wallet by purchasing the expensive In-flight Wi-Fi.
During her flight from Paris to Budapest, tech journalist Rita El Khoury was looking for some kind of quick connectivity for her to do some last minute research.
She wrote that while many airlines offer Wi-Fi services for a cost, it also often allows free messaging via RCS. That is when she found a hack that would allow her to continue to chat with the AI during the flight without the use of Wi-Fi.
Rich Communication Services is a messaging protocol introduced in 2009 by the GSM Association to replace Short Message Service and Multimedia Messaging Service with features like media sharing, tying indicators, and real-time messaging over data or Wi-Fi.
Because the Gemini is inbuilt inside the RSC app, Khoury was able to continue chatting with the AI during the flight although she was offline.
Khoury recalled that after connecting to the airline's free messaging service, she opened the Google messaging app and tapped on the Gemini AI button. There she asked the assistant to list the day's top 10 Android and Google tech stories.
Amazingly, Gemini sprang to life and replied with up to date Android and Google news, such as the NotebookLM app launch, Google Voice's three-way calls, and other recent tech headlines.
After her discovery, she expressed her amazement
"Having free access to Gemini in Google Messages felt like peeking through a window at the entire internet without actually opening a browser."
While this hack has its perks, it does have its limitations.For example, Gemini is able to generate images, but it isn't able to open links.
"It was all quite a fun and streamlined experiment, like talking to the World's know-it-all nerd over text messages."
While it is not clear how long this trick will remain viable, especially if airlines catch on-but for now, it's a clever workaround for avoiding the sky-high cost of Wi-Fi at 30,000 feet.
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