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Apple to Adopt RCS Messaging Standard for Better Interoperability With Android Devices
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1. You’re talking about sms. We have no idea if this is how Apple will handle RCS messages.
2. As hinted to above, this is Apple making the OS worse. They could make these contacts removable from a group chat, they choose not to. It has nothing to do with RCS and everything to do with wanting to make iMessage seem more appealing.
3. There are plenty of simple, subtle, basic UI tweaks they could use to differentiate sms and RCS. Whether they will or not is up to them to do the job properly, but that is again you just guessing.
Do you have anything that’s not just something you’ve made up?
On Google Messages you can easily tell if you’re texting an iPhone (or a really old Android phone) with SMS because the messages are light blue with limited functionality. When you text with another Android user using RCS it’s a dark aqua colored bubble and you have way more functionality including typing indicators, read receipts, high quality photos and video. It works just like iMessage except instead of green or blue bubbles you have light blue and much darker aqua blue. I would assume as long as SMS is around a third color will be added or different shades of green will be used. On Google Messages it also states right in the text box before you type whether you’re sending a text message or an RCS message. I am sure iMessage will let you know how you’re texting someone. The RCS experience will be very similar to the iMessage experience.
Hahahahahaha. This is absolutely in response to the “Nothing” phone adding embedded iMessage support through a third party solution that Apple cannot legally block.
I love this.
I love this.
Right, I am a Pixel user mainly, but do have the iPhone as well. I hope Apple does this right and implements RCS correctly. It will be weird not having the uglier blue variant for all the iPhone users I message now on Google Messages app.
All of my messaging should be the same going forward
No... common sense that Apple isn’t going to move an announcement this significant because of a sketchy app released by an Android smartphone maker that, let’s be honest, most people don’t even know about.
This is all about avoiding EU and getting a head start. They will probably be able to hold a few things back now since they are jumping on this before EU labels iMessage as "gatekeeper" status.
It's not sketchy actually. It's based on Sunbird messaging technology. That app has been moving forward with beta users for a while now with very good results. That app is also expected to move out of beta in the next year to the entire android ecosystem. I'm assuming that the Nothing app is simply a rebrand of the Sunbird app. It allows Sunbird to increase their capital, and get a larger beta group without a full release.
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Although I have a Mac and an iPad, I have Samsung S22 Ultra for a phone. I’ll be thrilled the day my iPhone friends text messages start showing up as nice dark blue RCS messages and we can have modern features available when we text. It’ll also make their experience much better. Apple adopting RCS as the first line fall back standard is a win win for everyone. Why anyone would be arguing against this makes absolutely no sense to me. If an iPhone is texting an iPhone it’ll still be an iMessage.
Timo, for an issue that you don't think merits response you've sure been active defending it. I personally believe this issue merits a full on case study into the corporate exploitation of childrens social psychology to facilitate unfettered share value growth.
Young teens being socially excluded because of their phone messaging app is a well documented phenomenon. Maybe you're able to deny the issue because you're older and no longer have the same social pressures but I can assure you that teens don't need additional obstacles to social acceptance. Especially when those obstacles require giving Apple money to fit in.
Hopefully Google can take down their site now:
Enable RCS Chats on Android & iPhone: Get The Message
Enjoy clearer pictures, better group chats, and seamless communication between Android & iPhone with RCS. Learn to enable RCS messaging on your device.www.android.com
I’d go for the “I’ll believe it when I see it” approach on this one
I've tried to explain this thing before to no avail but here. All RCS messages will have to go through Google Jibe hub and Jibe cloud network if Apple wants to send RCS messages to T-Mobile, At&t and Verizon customers. Even if Apple spins up their own RCS Hub or use 3rd party Hub and network, they have to connect with Google Jibe for Apple to be able to send RCS messages to the 3 major carriers.
This is how RCS works (oversimplification)
Carriers implement their own RCS or just use the standard Universal Profile; US carriers have decided to default to use Google's implementation as of 2022 but also support Universal Profile. (2020 outdated list)
The carriers connect to RCS Interconnect Hubs just like how SMS and MMS have interconnected hubs, that is how you are able to receive text messages from people on different network operators. Major SMS/MMS Hub operators like GMS, Mavenir, etc, also have RCS Hubs.
3rd Party Hubs operated by different companies connect with one another and client messaging apps connect to the hub. This is where Google comes in the picture.
Google's Jibe Hub connects to and works with every other Hub. You don't need to use Google's implementation of RCS to work with Google, they also support RCS Universal Profile.
This is how Apple will support RCS.
Apple Message App with RCS Universal Profile - Apple's or 3rd-Party IMS - Apple's or 3rd Party RCS Hub which connects to any 3rd-Party or Jibe Hub.
As long as you connect to one hub then you are automatically connected to every hub that is connected in the RCS network, the same way SMS works. You do not need to connect to Google's Jibe hub directly. Any feature added to the Universal Profile will be supported.
At no point does Google need to provide Apple with APIs or Touch iOS for Apple to support RCS.
Apple can implement RCS. You are right about one thing, only Google - Google messages support e2e encryption which is the only feature Google has that Universal profile does not. But it's a matter of time before the Universal Profile gets updated to support e2e encryption.
It's not a matter of if but when. Apple has engaged the GSMA about implementing RCS dating far back to 2019, but they sure are dragging their feet. I could speculate and say perhaps apple is waiting for e2e encryption to be added before they implement it but that's just my speculation.
Most people outside of forums have never heard of the Nothing brand and I doubt Apple even cares as they don't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's definitely not the EU at all.
It’s not that everyone thinks down on them because their bubbles are green— it’s because they’re ostracized. Out of my whole extended family, only one cousin has an Android, so if we include him in a group message EVERYONE’S messages become green. So inevitably he is left off of group threads, poor guy. I still call him on the phone, though 😄
Nothing is a not necessarily the problem. Their market share is basically non-existent. Sunbird, on the other hand, could be a much larger problem. The Nothing app is based on Sunbird's tech, and their app will be releasing to the entire android ecosystem, not just a single brand.
I guess this is a bigger deal for people in the USA? A lot of us outside the US barely use iMessage as it is.
WhatsApp is my main messaging app, doubt this will change that.
Great news for those who wanted RCS on iPhone though!
WhatsApp is my main messaging app, doubt this will change that.
Great news for those who wanted RCS on iPhone though!
I think it's perfectly clear... regulation.
Corporations don't do the right thing until they are forced, time and again.
It's sad that Apple will continue to make RCS messages green (already confirmed). Those who choose not to use iMessage, will be outcasted by certain social groups.
The first time an iOS user texts an android user and sees typing indicators, high quality videos, and group chats having those same features, people are going to notice. The colors debate will not be nearly as big.
It's not the color that's the problem. It's the severe restrictions to the group chat that apple enforces when even a single green, non-imessage user is included in a group chat. Those restrictions are so significant that no iMessage user wants to see a green bubble in the chat.
It's not "certain social groups". At this point it's essentially the entirety of the US population under 25.
Exactly. It's not the bubble color, it's the fact that having an Android user in an iMessage group chat "breaks" the group chat and disables the iMessage features, making it more annoying for the iPhone users.
nope.
literally tested on my pixel with iPhone as part of the group. pixel would not let me remove anyone from the sms group.
Very very surprised that Apple is supporting RCS. EU regulations forcing Apple to change many things.