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Apple to Adopt RCS Messaging Standard for Better Interoperability With Android Devices
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While RCS has relative parity, Apple's implementation of RCS will likely be such that significant pain points will still exist. Particularly in group chats, which is where most of the blue/green bubble hate comes from. Currently Apple handicaps the entire chat when a single non-imessage user joins the chat. That is an intentional decision on Apple's part. It doesn't need to be that way, even with SMS. You can bet that the situation will be very similar with RCS. It's in Apple's best interest from a sales standpoint to keep it that way
ok. I oversimplified it, obviously. Who knows what Apple / GSMA / whomever comes up with as a standard. Could be a key server with public / private keys (a la PGP). Could be something more seamless like an extension of the contact key in Messages now. We'll have to wait and see.
Yeah that's cool. I'm a little surprised that you can't change the colors on iPhones. They seem to have come a long way with customization. On my Pixel, I can't specify the exact color of bubbles, but they will match whatever theme color I have set for the entire OS which I can change to anything.
This is what I'm afraid of. Just like with the hamstrung USB C port on the non-Pro iPhone 15s, Apple could very well implement this and still find ways to hinder the experience.
While RCS has relative parity, Apple's implementation of RCS will likely be such that significant pain points will still exist. Particularly in group chats, which is where most of the blue/green bubble hate comes from. Currently Apple handicaps the entire chat when a single non-imessage user joins the chat. That is an intentional decision on Apple's part. It doesn't need to be that way, even with SMS. You can bet that the situation will be very similar with RCS. It's in Apple's best interest from a sales standpoint to keep it that way
I have a feeling EU regulators will see to it that it's not the case. I'm not saying that it's going to have the same features as iMessage, but the group chat scenario is part of the reason why the EU has been threatening regulation in the first place.
There is no way Apple would sign onto this if E2E encryption wouldn't be implemented.
They should have just turned it on one day and waited to see if anyone noticed. But now that RCS support is coming, Apple can start a campaign urging Google to fix the years-old problem in which an Android user turns on RCS and then the phone spends weeks in "waiting to verify" status and never actually has the feature.
Yes, we all know about Google's history of messaging failures. But not with RCS; they've been nothing but persistent for years and the client experience has continuously improved (at least from my perspective - I've been using Google Messages with RCS for 4 years or so).
Google tried for years to drag the carriers along, as was the original plan. But they're all incompetent and threw in their towels. So Google is now the only other party that matters in this announcement. Apple PR would never say it, but if the announcement is sincere it would be silly to think that engineering teams from both companies aren't already collaborating behind NDAs. The standards body can record the agreements that the two mobile behemoths arrive at.
They will not. And apple will still find a way to make group chats painful when non-imessage users join the chat. Even with SMS, there's no technical reason the entire group chat needs to be handicapped because of a single user. That's an intentional decision on Apple's part. It's in their best interest financially. That won't change under RCS. Apple will still find a way to make it painful
I disagree. This isn't meant to be on par with iMessage, the more they can differentiate between the two while still implementing a passable version of RCS, the better for them. They can then tell Google and co. that they've done what they asked and continue to boast about how much better and safer iMessage is.
They're doing this to avoid regulation, not to benefit users.
They will hopefully use an open cross-platform encryption standard. Google is switching to MLS for that very reason.
SMS already exists for communicating with people on Android. I don't care that Android users don't have iOS functions. Forcing a company to destroy it's ecosystem because it's better than a rival's is wrong as it stifles innovation. Why take incentive away from Apple to create better products? Apple doesn't have dominance in smartphone volumes, Google does. Why is Google so keen on using iOS services instead of making their own ecosystem better? It makes no sense at all.
I have both iOS and Android but after learning of this, I'm getting rid of my Android devices. What a sad, pathetic move by Google.
And what would their defense be when people rightfully roasted them for not prioritizing their users' privacy?
You don't think the EU will require encryption on RCS? With all of the boasting Apple does regarding privacy and security, it would be insane not to take advantage of the support on RCS. The EU will not take kindly to Apple intentionally hobbling RCS security in order to boost iMessage.
Well, sure. The input box says "RCS Message" instead of "Text Message" and there is a "RCS Chat with xxx" line near the top of the window with a "details" link that shows me what RCS features are enabled and allows me to turn those on or off when chatting with whichever contact that happens to be.
The whole "bubble colour stigma" (some other posters' words, not mine) is an adolescent-level peer-pressure marketing... thing... that is unique to the Apple world.
Its a Apple problem if they want to adopt Universal Profile but not Google's extension for E2EE like they stated. Instead they want to "work" with GSMA to add E2EE to the standard. Meanwhile, every major carrier in the US has switched to Google Jibe and for client side, google messages and they all have E2EE. Its a Apple problem, if they don't want to work with Google to use the opensource signal protocol, a solution that is already there. I want the GSMA to add an encryption protocol to the Universal Profile but there is a solution out there that most carriers have adopted which already has E2EE.
Verizon
Verizon and Google team up to bring enhanced messaging services to Android users
Verizon announced a collaboration with Google to expand advanced messaging services to Android users in the U.S. starting next year using Google’s Android Messages app.
Tmobile
T-Mobile switching to Google’s Jibe for RCS in Messages app
In addition to Get the Messages continuing with iPager, T-Mobile announced today that its RCS offering is now powered by Google’s Jibe...
9to5google.com
Att
AT&T starts using Google's Jibe platform for RCS messages
AT&T is migrating its RCS backend to Google’s own Jibe platform, a change that should make using the tech better on the carrier's devices.
www.engadget.com
They might for practical reasons, like if they want to know if the other person can receive full quality videos or communicate/send stuff via internet. It would be helpful if the RCS bubble was a different color.
Point me to any Google statement that says they do NOT have any way to access to the encryption keys, even in response to a national security letter.Why do some of you people insist on making stupid comments. The messages are E2EE meaning google does not have the security key to snoop into your messages no more than Apple has the key to open iMessage.
Point me to any Apple statement that says that they do NOT have any way to access to the encryption keys, even in response to a national security letter.
I have asked for this a couple of times and it has not been forth coming.
Edit:
Even more this from WikiPedia
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A backdoor is usually a secret method of bypassing normal authentication or encryption in a computer system, a product, an embedded device, etc.[36] Companies may also willingly or unwillingly introduce backdoors to their software that help subvert key negotiation or bypass encryption altogether. In 2013, information leaked by Edward Snowden showed that Skype had a backdoor which allowed Microsoft to hand over their users' messages to the NSA despite the fact that those messages were officially end-to-end encrypted.[37][38]
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SMS has both security flaws and is essentially featureless. No one is forcing a company to "destroy it's ecosystem" because nothing is changing for iPhone users communicating with other iPhone users. "Why is Google so keen on using iOS services?" What does that even mean? Google isn't using any iOS services here. "It makes no sense at all." Maybe that's because you don't seem to understand what all this means. Not trying to be mean, just basing that on your comment.
It IS only Universal Profile. So, even if Android fans aren’t going “NOOO WE DIDNT WANT THIS”, Google certainly is!