I think that's a shame. Some of my contacts only have WhatsApp, and I am definitely not gonna install that Spyware. So to those, I am still sending pictures by MMS.
Except most carrier don't want to implement it — it will need new investment in architecture, new bilateral negociation between operator, new routing partners... and it's backed by Google, which seems to not reassure anyone.
Many carriers already have. The main issue is that Google is steamrolling their own IaaS solution (Jibe) while some carriers (like Swisscom for instance) have actually implemented Universal Profile on their own, and are now left out.
Google seems not interested in interconnected third party RCS hubs anymore.
The current situation means that people who are directly connected to Google's own Jibe infrastructure can message carrier-operated Jibe deployments. But they can't message third party RCS networks or vice-versa.
Thankfully, it's not driven by Google, just "approved" by them. You don't want to use a Google technology for thinga you want to continue to exist 4 years from now.
Honestly, at this point I don't think there is hope for RCS.
And even if there was: I really don't like the idea of an (at least somewhat) carrier-controlled messaging service. Especially the lack of multi-device messaging/not being able to access my account without my phone is really frustrating.
We had all of that with instant messengers in the early 2000s (proprietary or open/federated) – RCS seems like a big step back in that regard.
Point-to-point transport layer encryption is not even worth mentioning anymore these days, in my opinion. SMTP uses TLS, yet I would not call email an encrypted messaging service.
I was a MMSC developer over a decade ago, don't ask what most of the MMS traffic was.