Surprise? No, it's called regulation. Thanks EU. I could maybe finally get rid of WhatsApp and it's mess.
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Apple to Adopt RCS Messaging Standard for Better Interoperability With Android Devices
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Not sure Nothing's stunt had much to do with this. If Apple wanted, they could have delivered a software update that blocked any new interoperability.
I‘m wondering which color they will choose for the RCS bubbles …
Brown could be a good choice …
It is absolutely hilarious how many iOS users in here are actively hoping that Apple implements this in such a way that their own user experience is hampered. "I hope Apple uses some colour scheme that is absolutely atrocious so that when one of my Android using friends messages me, I can barely read it." Forget about whether this actually improves the user experience when communicating with others who happen to buy a different product than you do - you are actually willing to have a worse experience just so you can point and say "ah-ha" to them.
I cannot believe Apple just invented RCS!
After years of persuading from Google, Apple plans to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. An Apple spokesperson told TechRadar and 9to5Mac that support for RCS will be coming next year.
According to Apple, RCS will "work alongside iMessage" and will improve communication between iPhone and Android users. iMessage will continue to be the default for iPhone to iPhone communication, with RCS serving as a replacement for the existing SMS and MMS standards. SMS and MMS will remain available as a fallback when necessary, though.
Rich Communication Services is a communication protocol designed by and adopted by Google. Smartphone makers and carriers worldwide have adopted RCS, but Apple has been resisting its adoption. Google has been pushing Apple to accept RCS through a long-running ad campaign involving billboards, a website, social media pressure, and more.
Google has had a "Get the Message" website since August 2022, with the site calling on Apple to "fix what's broken" in texts between iPhone and Android users. Earlier this year, even Samsung got into the PR campaign, publishing a bizarre ad where "Romeo" with his green bubbles and "Juliet" with her blue bubbles were unable to be together because of Apple's hesitation to adopt RCS.
"Green bubbles and blue bubbles want to be together," read Samsung's ad, which also included the #GetTheMessage hashtag Google used for its social media push.
Compared to MMS and SMS, the standards that Apple uses for text messages, RCS supports higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, and bigger file sizes. It also adds improved encryption for chats between iPhone and Android users, cross-platform emoji reactions, and more reliability for group chats across different devices.
With RCS, real-time typing indicators, read receipts, better photos and videos, and much improved group chats will be standard on iPhones and Android phones, putting an end to the frustration that some iPhone users experience when attempting to communicate with Android smartphone owners. Apple claims that while RCS improves security for cross-device messaging, it is not as secure as iMessage.
According to Apple, RCS will provide users with the option to share their location with others inside text threads over text messages, and like iMessage, RCS will work over Wi-Fi in addition to cellular.
Back in September 2022, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that adopting RCS was not a priority for Apple. "I don't hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy into that at this point," he said. It is not clear why Apple has changed its stance, but the company is facing regulatory scrutiny over the App Store, iMessage, and other proprietary technologies in multiple countries, so adopting RCS could be seen as a willingness to work with other companies to improve device interoperability.
The European Union, for example, has been working on legislation that would have required Apple to make changes to iMessage to make it available on other platforms. With RCS, iMessage will no longer have as many benefits that are unavailable cross-platform.
Going forward, Apple plans to work with Google and other Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) members on further improving RCS. RCS support will be introduced in a software update next year, and carriers will need to implement support for full functionality. In the United States, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T already support RCS.
Article Link: Apple to Adopt RCS Messaging Standard for Better Interoperability With Android Devices
Sooo… I have owned a lot of devices on both sides. I have been loyal to Apple for about 9 years now. I’m starting to see less and less differences between the two and/or reasons to stay loyal to Apple.
I’m excited to watch the next Samsung release with Galaxy S24 Ultra. Might be time for a change. Could be fun.
I’m excited to watch the next Samsung release with Galaxy S24 Ultra. Might be time for a change. Could be fun.
By no means of personal attack. Some Apple fan feels privileged. They don’t want leveling playing field, so they want something to segregate between iOS and Android
I bet this is why they finally caved in. Apple finally saw that while they were too busy smelling their own farts, WeChat and WhatsApp took over the world.
Government regulation....can be soooooo helpful, at times, don't you think? All of this turnaround because of the threat of regulation from the EU...never would've happened otherwise:
- Apple adopts USB-C on their iPhones and soon, across all of their products
- Apple finally creates manuals for their products and allows for repairs and gives in to the "right to repair" movement
- ...and now, finally. Apple adopts RCS...
Now I hope we'll easily emoji-react to a message, like we can do on so many messaging platforms. It allows so much personalized reactions than the standards "like, love, laugh, surprised, dislike".
My thoughts precisely. If this improves messaging with Android users, all good.
Oh, like how all messages will go through Google's servers, is good for everyone? The article says nothing about Apple providing the server infrastructure which I am guessing they are not, just a connection to google's servers.
Not for me.
So they’re adopting the Universal Profile, the base level of RCS. They’re then working with the actual standards group to whip it into shape….basically the exact opposite of what Google was trying to pressure them to do (adopt Google’s version of RCS).
I see there’s already 12 pages I haven’t gone through, but given this is MR I’m sure there’s hundreds of posts saying Google actually won here?
Let’s be clear, Google wanted everything piped through them, because they’re a data collection firm. That’s not what’s happening here. None of Google’s aims were about “user experience”, despite that being the rhetoric used, because user experience does not generate any income for them. Piping things through Google’s servers, however, would allow them (or their Military partners/owners) to do exactly that.
A hollow “victory” for Google here.
I see there’s already 12 pages I haven’t gone through, but given this is MR I’m sure there’s hundreds of posts saying Google actually won here?
Let’s be clear, Google wanted everything piped through them, because they’re a data collection firm. That’s not what’s happening here. None of Google’s aims were about “user experience”, despite that being the rhetoric used, because user experience does not generate any income for them. Piping things through Google’s servers, however, would allow them (or their Military partners/owners) to do exactly that.
A hollow “victory” for Google here.
Soon? USB-C has been on Macs since 2016 and iPads since 2018.
There must be a massive paycheck in this for Apple or they wouldn't have done it. We'll know soon enough what it is.
Because
Honestly I don’t know why, but running out of ram makes me anxious, makes me itchy, maybe it’s all those years I spent with only 4gb on my Mac mini.
Win win...it's about effen time! Most of the world does not use iMessage anyways. The U.S. is the minority.
After years of persuading from Google, Apple plans to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. An Apple spokesperson told TechRadar and 9to5Mac that support for RCS will be coming next year.
According to Apple, RCS will "work alongside iMessage" and will improve communication between iPhone and Android users. iMessage will continue to be the default for iPhone to iPhone communication, with RCS serving as a replacement for the existing SMS and MMS standards. SMS and MMS will remain available as a fallback when necessary, though.
Rich Communication Services is a communication protocol designed by and adopted by Google. Smartphone makers and carriers worldwide have adopted RCS, but Apple has been resisting its adoption. Google has been pushing Apple to accept RCS through a long-running ad campaign involving billboards, a website, social media pressure, and more.
Google has had a "Get the Message" website since August 2022, with the site calling on Apple to "fix what's broken" in texts between iPhone and Android users. Earlier this year, even Samsung got into the PR campaign, publishing a bizarre ad where "Romeo" with his green bubbles and "Juliet" with her blue bubbles were unable to be together because of Apple's hesitation to adopt RCS.
"Green bubbles and blue bubbles want to be together," read Samsung's ad, which also included the #GetTheMessage hashtag Google used for its social media push.
Compared to MMS and SMS, the standards that Apple uses for text messages, RCS supports higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, and bigger file sizes. It also adds improved encryption for chats between iPhone and Android users, cross-platform emoji reactions, and more reliability for group chats across different devices.
With RCS, real-time typing indicators, read receipts, better photos and videos, and much improved group chats will be standard on iPhones and Android phones, putting an end to the frustration that some iPhone users experience when attempting to communicate with Android smartphone owners. Apple claims that while RCS improves security for cross-device messaging, it is not as secure as iMessage.
According to Apple, RCS will provide users with the option to share their location with others inside text threads over text messages, and like iMessage, RCS will work over Wi-Fi in addition to cellular.
Back in September 2022, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that adopting RCS was not a priority for Apple. "I don't hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy into that at this point," he said. It is not clear why Apple has changed its stance, but the company is facing regulatory scrutiny over the App Store, iMessage, and other proprietary technologies in multiple countries, so adopting RCS could be seen as a willingness to work with other companies to improve device interoperability.
The European Union, for example, has been working on legislation that would have required Apple to make changes to iMessage to make it available on other platforms. With RCS, iMessage will no longer have as many benefits that are unavailable cross-platform.
Going forward, Apple plans to work with Google and other Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) members on further improving RCS. RCS support will be introduced in a software update next year, and carriers will need to implement support for full functionality. In the United States, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T already support RCS.
Article Link: Apple to Adopt RCS Messaging Standard for Better Interoperability With Android Devices
This has been the case for decades (regrettably, I was one of them). I remember the collective gasps when Apple announced that they were creating a PC-compatible iPod and a Windows version of iTunes.
RCS is called informally "Chat" so if you enabled "Chat" inAndroid messages you are using RCS.