Google Again Criticizes Apple for Not Adopting RCS for Messages App: 'Their Texting is Stuck in the 1990s'

[DEMinSoCAL]

RCS is not secure it has no encryption by default and if the carrier does not support it or its not enabled on the phone it goes no where.

Yet the article literally says it does:

"It provides support for higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, and bigger file sizes, plus it adds improved encryption, cross-platform emoji reactions, and more reliable group chats across different devices. Google has been pushing Apple to adopt RCS for well over a year now, but so far, Apple is not budging."

 

[dk001]

Oh I assumed you meant the iPhones were using Google Messages and receiving RCS comms as well. I think they would if they could use Google Messages, unsure on that part, but GMess apparently works without the carrier implementing RCS. Probably because it uses Google's RCS shell.

Nope - sorry, should have been clearer when I posted it.

 

[dk001]

And conversely, even if Apple enables RCS, it probably won't work with Google's RCS shell and we're back to square one.

Yeah, it would have to be specific. As far as I am aware of it is the current global model being adopted. Not sure, IF Apple did why it would choose another variant.

 

[strongy]

Yet the article literally says it does:

"It provides support for higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, and bigger file sizes, plus it adds improved encryption, cross-platform emoji reactions, and more reliable group chats across different devices. Google has been pushing Apple to adopt RCS for well over a year now, but so far, Apple is not budging."

Google RCS and RCS are not the same

 

[strongy]

Actually screw both Apple and Google. We need other options. It can’t be good in anyway that only these two big tech companies practically control the entire worldwide cellphone market. They’re gaining too much power. Personally, If I have to choose only between those two I prefer not to have a phone at all until there is another option.

you had other options no one wanted them

 

[dk001]

lol that 'globally' has a very small niche, the majority of carriers around the world do not support rcs

I don't have a percentage however there is a significant list that do.
See post 627 for links

 

[dk001]

Google RCS and RCS are not the same

In this instance they are.

 

[strongy]

In this instance they are.

they are legally not allowed to call it RCS so it is not, google implemented a version of encryption on their version thats all.

 

[strongy]

Nothing.
I had switched my OnePlus to RCS and sent my daughter a text (12 ProMax) and she got none of them.
It is concerning when iMessage doesn't even acknowledge them.

iMessage is a protocol, if its coming from a non-apple device its a SMS message and thats your phones fault if it not smart enough to determine that it should use that, you just use any other 3rd party message app, which the majority of people use anyway

 

[dk001]

they are legally not allowed to call it RCS so it is not, google implemented a version of encryption on their version thats all.

For the article, it makes little sense unless you read Google RCS and RCS as the same.
Just my take.

 

[dk001]

iMessage is a protocol, if its coming from a non-apple device its a SMS message and thats your phones fault if it not smart enough to determine that it should use that, you just use any other 3rd party message app, which the majority of people use anyway

Not the phones fault. It is the receiving app fault. Messages has no way of knowing the the recipient OS and assumes the default app can handle it.

For four of us there is a OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Z Flip 3 - we can all use RCS. A message utilizing RCS from any of these to my iPhone (13 ProMax) results in nothing ever showing up on the iPhone.
Now if we disable RCS, it shows as SMS/MMS on the iPhone. That is Apple's default apps inability to handle RCS.

As for third party, while I do use it, it would be far far better if I could use one app or on the Apple side define the default messaging app.

Personally, I really dislike having to use several apps to communicate. I also refuse to use anything FB.

There are several solutions:
1. Android iMessage
2. iMessage handling RCS
3. Android Messages handling iMessage protocol

In all three cases Apple has nixed this.

 

[strongy]

Not the phones fault. It is the receiving app fault. Messages has no way of knowing the the recipient OS and assumes the default app can handle it.

For four of us there is a OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Z Flip 3 - we can all use RCS. A message utilizing RCS from any of these to my iPhone (13 ProMax) results in nothing ever showing up on the iPhone.
Now if we disable RCS, it shows as SMS/MMS on the iPhone. That is Apple's default apps inability to handle RCS.

As for third party, while I do use it, it would be far far better if I could use one app or on the Apple side define the default messaging app.

Personally, I really dislike having to use several apps to communicate.

There are several solutions:
1. Android iMessage
2. iMessage handling RCS
3. Android Messages handling iMessage protocol

In all three cases Apple has nixed this.

you seem to think that if rcs is enabled it will even get onto the carrier network, if its not enabled its not going anywhere, you cant use rcs on a carrier that does not support it

 

[Unregistered 4U]

lol that 'globally' has a very small niche, the majority of carriers around the world do not support rcs

RCS is the best solution only if you want to send messages to more folks than AOL Instant Messenger, but less than literally every other way of messaging available.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

you seem to think that if rcs is enabled it will even get onto the carrier network, if its not enabled its not going anywhere, you cant use rcs on a carrier that does not support it

Even further, the carriers specifically state that it’s only compatible with Android devices using Google Messages. They’re saying, up front, that if you use anything else, your mileage may vary.

 

[Wizec]

except rcs isn't supported by the carriers so pointless

RCS Universal Profile is supported by many carriers. 90 carriers in 60 countries as of June, 2020

Global Launches

Launched by 52 operators in 38 countries, RCS is proving to be a truly global messaging platform. Discover which operators have already launched.

www.gsma.com

All North American carriers support it. That’s a lot.

 

[sunking101]

"I can't buy the Samsung phone I really want because my mother and sister use iMessage." ☺️

 

[OneBar]

Yeah, it would have to be specific. As far as I am aware of it is the current global model being adopted. Not sure, IF Apple did why it would choose another variant.

Because if Google lumps their shell of RCS, all your messages stop working. Whereas a universal vanilla RCS protocol adopted by the carriers would work for everyone and not have Google's fingers in everything as well. We don't want Google's shell for the same reasons you don't want a meta messenger app.

 

[NT1440]

Yet the article literally says it does:

"It provides support for higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, and bigger file sizes, plus it adds improved encryption, cross-platform emoji reactions, and more reliable group chats across different devices. Google has been pushing Apple to adopt RCS for well over a year now, but so far, Apple is not budging."

The thing about tech journalism is that it’s rarely technically literate people writing it. What you’ve shared is merely a Google press release repeated by another source.

Note Google doesn’t specify that THEIR in-house, not complete, and still evidently changing implementation of RCS has improved encryption.

Which is another way of saying “pipe it through our servers for this “enhanced encryption”. That’s NOT RCS, that’s Google’s RCS.

 

[NT1440]

RCS Universal Profile is supported by many carriers. 90 carriers in 60 countries as of June, 2020

Global Launches

Launched by 52 operators in 38 countries, RCS is proving to be a truly global messaging platform. Discover which operators have already launched.

www.gsma.com

All North American carriers support it. That’s a lot.

And which version of RCS is this? The totally not secure (so why is it better than SMS) version, or Google’s pet project RCS which still isn’t finished and still changing?

 

[Azathoth123]

And which version of RCS is this? The totally not secure (so why is it better than SMS) version, or Google’s pet project RCS which still isn’t finished and still changing?

Bravo sir,

Reminds me of this:

 

[OneBar]

And which version of RCS is this? The totally not secure (so why is it better than SMS) version, or Google’s pet project RCS which still isn’t finished and still changing?

The purpose of switching to RCS over SMS isn't security. It's data throughput and other compatibilities between modern texting devices. And "security" on the other is run by Google sooooo

 

[lartola]

To be fair, they don’t control the world’s entire cellphone market as there are still plenty of feature phones without iOS or Android on them. All happily using SMS.

Users of those feature phones make a minuscule percentage of the cellphone market. Over 80% of it is either Apple or Android.

 

[bodonnell202]

SMS isn't owned by Google; the RCS shell that Google is wanting Apple to implement is.

RCS isn't owned by Google either, they've just built on top of it. Apple should use the Universal Profile for maximum compatibility.

 

[lartola]

apples not forcing anything some people are forcing themselves to not use any of the multitude of existing apps, thats on them not on anyone else.

Ok, but my point is still valid. The reason Apple limits imessage to its own ecosystem and won’t replace sms with rcs in the messages app is only to sell more iphones. ‘Buy your mom an iphone’ Tim said. It couldn’t be clearer.

 

[bodonnell202]

Again, the article says RCS, not RCS in the USA or North America. I'm pointing out that it doesn't help me. And I also said there's lots of mis-information posted. Heck, someone even pointed out that folks in Canada doesn't use iMessage much.

If Apple implemented RCS improves Apple user's experience, you can bet that it will be implemented. So far, from what I can infer from the post here, only a handful on more vocal folks wants it. Most don't care from what I can tell. So why should Apple do it? Because Google wants to?

I want Apple to spend their development budget on features that improves their user's experiences, me beign one of them. RCS is not one of them.

Finally, there are already cross platform solutions for messages. Being stubborn and not using them, like what the rest of the world is doing, is not Apple's fault.

And I'm pointing out that it will help a lot of people in North America. I'm from Canada and contrary to what some random person pointed out, most people here do use iMessage, except for people who have Android phones who mostly use the native messaging app on their phone. Yes, I understand that there are other messaging apps out that that can send full resolution photos and videos between iPhone and Android users, but that doesn't help me if no one else is using these apps. Since carriers here have included unlimited SMS in every phone package for over a decade, nothing else has taken off. The closest would've been Facebook messenger, but people have been abandoning Meta like the plague, and I have absolutely zero interest in using an app owned by Meta (which includes WhatsApp). Implementing RCS Universal Profile as a fallback in iMessage would go a long way to improve interoperability, but I know Apple has zero interest in improving interoperability and they won't do it unless forced to, so I'm probably yelling at clouds right now. Oh well...