Google Urges Apple Not to 'Drop the Ball' on Fixing Messaging in New Billboard Pushing RCS

[Haiku_Oezu]

Who the hell texts people anymore??

I’m serious, who doesn’t just use Signal, WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Telegram, WeChat or any of the hundreds of SMS replacement apps?

The only people I can think of that haven’t moved to any of those services at this point are people who just want to quickly text others - and I don’t think they’re actually sending photos and videos.

Also how much is Google spending to pester Apple lmao

 

[Artemis70]

Oh I don‘t know, do you? Can you name a 2022 (not sold, but a new model) smartphone with micro usb?

I don't know when all the phones were introduced. A simple search showed tons that are currently available. This is one: TCL A30. If you look at the market in South East Asia, most budget phones are still Micro USB.

 

[JMStearnsX2]

If RCS was more than just a Google project, I'd be more for it. Seeing as how Google abandons it's projects regularly, I understand Apple's silence on RCS.

 

[d686546s]

Which is WhatsApp? Or telegram in some more specific scenarios.

Neither is built into any phone I know, which was the requirement I listed.

Maybe RCS is not the best solution, but I can't think of a single reason that isn't Apple's (or Google's, or Meta's bottom line) why I -- as a user (!!!) -- would not want a common messaging platform that i) isn't severely outdated and ii) provides basic services, which for me in 2023 includes sharing images, videos and voice messages in decent quality, across operating systems and borders

Google does the same thing, try watching YouTube with a privacy browser.

As far as interoperability goes, iMessage IS interoperable with Android via SMS, if the Android user has a data connection. If an iMessage user sends an Android user a message, they will get it, that’s interoperability. What people seem to be talking about is not interoperability, but feature set compatibility. All messaging platforms have some different features, but this is not the same as interoperability. I don’t believe that the EU has mandated that all message platforms have the same feature set?

As for the part in bold, that's literally what I said. Either side's decisions are overwhelmingly driven by commercial considerations, so I just find the holier-than-thou 'but Google only does it for the money' arguments quite boring. Yes Google shouts interoperability and wants to profit from it, either by increasing its ad revenue or by removing a barrier for you to move to an Android device. At the same time, Apple shouts security and privacy and wants you to lock you into their ecosystem and make it harder for you to move away from an Apple device. Both public arguments are not without merit and, in both cases, are not the end of the story.

I don't think the EU has yet fully set out what the interoperability provisions in the Digital Markets Act will mean in practice, but I'm sceptical that the bar will be so low that SMS can meet it. We will see.

 

[alexandr]

This so much. I don’t care about RCS or anything Google wants. If my contacts want better than SMS from me, they can buy an iPhone 😂

I think I text with, what, one person? Everyone else interact with uses telegram or whatsapp, even most iPhone users.

 

[4ppleJack]

A cross-platform (this isn't just an iOS, Android thing, as there are plenty of other mobile OS's) protocol to replace/advance SMS is only a good thing but it needs to be an open source standard (including features like E2E) that doesn't rely on a single network (ie - Google's) or company.
RCS could be a good starting point but it's going to take all vendors and networks to sit down and that's unlikely to happen unfortunately.

I would rather Apple rollout iMessage for android.

Would there be enough uptick for it to be popular and worth Apple's dev time?
Other than iMessage-centric markets (which is small in comparison), the rest of the planet has swapped to third-party services for messaging.

I think Apple missed the boat about a decade ago; if they launched a cross-platform app then, like WhatsApp did (offered iOS, Android, Symbian OS and BlackBerry OS variants), it probably would be a global messaging app.

Always funny when Europeans talk about how we're so behind using iMessage still, while they love WhatsApp. I'll pass on that. I don't want Meta and Facebook collecting who I chat with, when, where, and more. I don't need to tie myself to a specific app.

We don't think you're "behind", we just use others tools to get the job done because iMessage doesn't. If iMessage allowed us to communicate with non-Apple devices, we would use that but it doesn't; it's that simple.

The difference is that WhatsApp requires an internet (or data) connection. Those that turn off data won't be able to use WhatsApp. That's where iMessage becomes elegant, because it falls back to SMS to ensure message delivery. Does RCS, or are users stuck with an unsent message?

RCS does/should fallback to SMS/MMS same as iMessage but re. data, the majority of mobile users have access to data, be it mobile data through their network or WiFi etc, most of the time so it's not particularly a big deal.

Who the hell texts people anymore??

I’m serious, who doesn’t just use Signal, WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Telegram, WeChat or any of the hundreds of SMS replacement apps?

I imagine the plan is to create a "default" messaging system that has (some) of the features that other messaging apps offer. As you say, majority of users will use other messaging apps but having a better "SMS" isn't a bad thing.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Message to Google: international users don't care about RCS cross-platform compatibility. Users worldwide rather use WhatsApp, LINE, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Signal for cross-platform messaging.

 

[Tdude96]

That google wants this is an immediate red flag that is's an ad-filled privacy train wreck.

 

[Osxguy]

If google is behind something so does my trust. Google just can't be trusted.

 

[Azathoth123]

Message to Google: international users don't care about RCS cross-platform compatibility. Users worldwide rather use WhatsApp, LINE, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Signal for cross-platform messaging.

Ha ha, I agree!

But compatibility isn’t what this is about. It’s about serving ads to iPhone users and removing a barrier to Android adoption by young people in the US - that’s real money. I think the point behind Google wanting more robust cross platform multimedia messaging is to serve ads. A text ad on SMS would not be sellable in the developed world.

 

[cthompson94]

That google wants this is an immediate red flag that is's an ad-filled privacy train wreck.

Yup India already had to tackle that problem.

 

[Azathoth123]

Yup India already had to tackle that problem.

Spot on, here’s a quote from the TechCrunch article:

‘…. the company also urged “every mobile operating system” (in a subtle jab at Apple) to support RCS, which is also aimed at helping businesses reach users in a more interactive way.’

 

[Zakstaxi]

Apple needs to associate it's servers with jibe so then it can iMessage iPhone and rcs Android and leave SMS for the 2 factor codes

 

[Johnebs]

RCS is security issue waiting to happen.

How RCS exposes mobile users to hackers

Discover how the implementation of Rich Communication Services (RCS) could expose mobile users to hackers, and the security risks associated with RCS deployments.

www.autobahn-security.com

And this is why Apple never implemented, and never will. iMessage is still super encrypted and is the gold standard for encrypted messaging.

That's the thing, it is not more of a security risk than SMS. What everyone need to understand is not that I want Apple to stop using iMessage in favor of RCS, personally like iMessage very much. What I wish is for a way to have usable tool when texting Android users. Right now when texting Android phones (or any other phone other than an iOS device) iMessages sends those out via SMS wich is not only 100% insecure, those are also inefficient, slow and useless.

What I want and I'm sure google is pushing for is that instead of defaulting to SMS, iMessage use RCS instead. This is an absolute win for all users and have absolutely no bearing on the iMessage security. Quite the opposite, RCS is a lot safer than SMS.

 

[spinedoc77]

If Apple can't charge for it, it won't implement it... as always

While I don't really support Google trying to strong arm Apple into using it's proprietary "RCS" solution, I do think there is an opportunity for Apple to indeed charge for its services. Apple should consider just releasing an Android subscription app for iMessage, personally I would have no issue paying $5/month for something like that.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

All major mobile carriers and manufacturers have implemented RCS support, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Motorola, Nokia, OnePlus, Samsung, Sony, and others, with Apple remaining the lone holdout.

Well, that’s ONE way to put it. One could also say Android OS phones support Google’s RCS via Google Messages, but that’s not nearly as impressive as “all manufacturers other than Apple”.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

While I don't really support Google trying to strong arm Apple into using it's proprietary "RCS" solution, I do think there is an opportunity for Apple to indeed charge for its services. Apple should consider just releasing an Android subscription app for iMessage, personally I would have no issue paying $5/month for something like that.

Perhaps if it was something to be rolled out worldwide. As it is, with most of the world using “something else”, this would only be for US users. Which is why, rather than a worldwide ad blitz, Google’s ONLY advertising in the US and ONLY via an ad campaign focused on ONE of that countries’ cities.

It’ll eventually run out of steam as Google’s not making as much as they used to and are already axing many internal projects. Eventually, someone inside will ask, “Do we actually think that spending this money will provide any results? Like, what’s the profit motive.” There will be blank stares and >blip< another messaging service bites the dust!

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Hey Google - why don't you add RCS to your own Google Voice product first!

… or Google Chat on the iPhone?

 

[Samplasion]

I can't help but wonder had Apple designed iMessage to play nicer with other platforms in the beginning that iMessage usage would be greater in other countries instead of WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messanger

Totally this! We're stuck with a data miner because of Apple's "ideological" stubbornness (ie. they haven't found a way to capitalize on a possible integration)

 

[twolf2919]

Do you honestly believe that is why they don't adopt it? Truly? You don't have to think too hard on this one.

Yes, truly. Contrary to troll opinion, not everything Apple does is profit-motivated. RCS security sucks. You don't have to surf too hard to get that. And as Tim Cook eloquently stated, "it's not a priority" for Apple's customers.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I can't help but wonder had Apple designed iMessage to play nicer with other platforms in the beginning that iMessage usage would be greater in other countries instead of WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messanger

Considering that WhatsApp was released in 2009 and iMessage was released in 2011… I’m thinking, no?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Totally this! We're stuck with a data miner because of Apple's "ideological" stubbornness (ie. they haven't found a way to capitalize on a possible integration)

I doubt Apple’s iMessage had any influence over an app that was released years earlier. Unless in addition to the Reality Distortion Field, they ALSO had a time machine!

 

[compwiz1202]

Had nothing to do with that and everything to do with carriers outside the US charging out the wazoo for text messages. Meanwhile, most plans in America were unlimited text & talk as iMessage was rolling out.

Yea there was a time when you could get unlimited TT but buckets of data so you didn't want to iMessage since it used data. Then "unlimited" everything came, and it didn't matter anymore

 

[Samplasion]

Tim Cook is a cancer to Apple and their users that aren't stockholders.

Zero innovation, maximum profit.

I disagree with Tim Cook on many things, and so do you it seems, but calling him a cancer is wrong.

Most Apple users don't care about RCS

Most Apple users don't know about RCS. I bet if Apple asked every user something like "Do you want us to improve texting with Android users?" most would say yes.

 

[Samplasion]

I doubt Apple’s iMessage had any influence over an app that was released years earlier. Unless in addition to the Reality Distortion Field, they ALSO had a time machine!

It's an interesting thought experiment.