Google's New 'iPager' Ad Shames Apple for Using Outdated Messaging Standard

[Light_of_Consciousness]

Apple's unbothered, somewhat petty response makes me laugh. Google looks ridiculous.

On a more serious note, group chats that include someone with an Android gets to be a huge pain. As far as I know, there isn't a way to add or remove someone without having to create a new group chat, which is annoying because it loses the whole previous thread. Encryption would be nice too.

Neither company wants to budge and it's the users who pay the price.

 

[Rychiar]

The new SMS is WhatsApp and at has been for nearly the past decade in the UK. You can have group chats etc regardless of what device you’re using.

But no one in the US uses it….

 

[alayal]

If google is all about standards and MLS is the standard of the future they should stop this nonsense and start the campaign to apple to adopt MLS not RCS

 

[surfzen21]

I miss the days of pagers.

What a wonderful time when we were barely connected to the matrix.

The most advanced communications were pagers and tricking pay phones to give messages to friends. 🥲

 

[Rychiar]

I don't actually care whether someone I'm texting uses iPhone or Android. Google and Samsung are the ones making a big deal out of it. At least that's how it is for me.

I make a big deal out of it cus i have to rely on cellular to text an android person and it sucks. Most of my pictures messages fail, can’t send video messages of any quality or length, texts in general fail half the time.. and NO STICKERS

 

[swingerofbirch]

The "buy your mom an iPhone" thing bothered me for a few reasons:

1) It shows Tim Cook's true motivation in not adopting RCS is in sales/stock price, just like when Apple decided not to release iMessage for Android because they knew families would buy Android phones for their kids if Android had iMessage available: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/09/epic-apple-no-imessage-on-android/

2) It's insulting to suggest that this woman can't make up her own mind about which phone she wants and needs someone else to buy one for her. It's paternalistic by proxy. "Buy your mom an iPhone"? She's a person with agency. Maybe she doesn't want an iPhone and can pick her own phone.

3) Apple is willing to spite its *own* customers with a worse experience for competitive advantage. It's not just keeping something away from Android. It's ridiculous to assume 100% of the population is ever going to use iPhones (and if that ever did happen Apple would be broken up), so by definition iPhone users are always going to have a worsened experience interacting in the real world with two major OSes just like Android users will continue to have a worsened experience due to Apple not either working with Google or releasing iMessage on Android. The reporter who asked the question *had* an iPhone and was having a bad experience on it, just like his mother was on her phone, but Tim Cook didn't care about the customer he already had (the reporter) and that customer's experience on iPhone—he was willing to spite him; he just wanted another customer, too. That's not a nice businessperson. That's an overly greedy businessperson that has indifference for current customers' experience, and it's off-putting.

 

[DigitalStanley]

Google: We just think about your poor users.

Apple:

 

[tomnavratil]

I think Apple won't support RCS until the carriers insist. Hopefully they do so soon.

It's frustrating that Apple so often pretends Android doesn't exist. A phone is a communication device; it should be able to communicate as securely and reliably as possible with all other phones.

Google's business model is based around data mining and providing that information to third parties. Their implementation or RCS is no different. You will - likely - never get everyone to agree on a new messaging standard anytime soon. Look at email for example, that has been defined several decades ago.

Customers certainly have multiple choices, though. From simple SMS all the way through Meta's offerings, Telegram, Signal (and other secure/private messengers) as well as multiple ones in Asia. And that's fine. iMessage is - indeed - superior so I understand Apple's rationale not to support Google's version of RCS, which is basically their marketing ploy to get rid of green bubbles.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Here to read all the comments defending Apple. Love it

(And yeah google implementation indeed isn't that great)

 

[HorstBockman]

Google's RCS support hasn't used encryption in group chats but only in one-on-one chats.

 

[tomnavratil]

The European Union is already prepping up legislation forcing all the tech companies to alter their proprietary messaging services to work together seamlessly. It’s just a matter of time..

Yep, unfortunately, you have many members in the Commission and Parliament not understanding technology, different protocols, security and encryption. They do have many great ideas (like pushing a common charging standard) but this is not one of them. Give consumers choices, market will sort this out just fine.

 

[HorstBockman]

(And yeah google implementation indeed isn't that great)

Please, go on.

 

[JamieLannister]

If you're not rich, you ain't my friend. If you're not my friend, you're not using an iPhone thus not using iMessage. So I don't really care.

 

[Mac_The_Ripper]

Apple will never get rid of good old antiquated iMessage. Apple knows that at least 10-20% of iPhone users would bail immediately upon adopting RCS. The sad part is, iPhone users actually think if they buy an Android phone they will no longer be able to message people with iMessage, which couldn't be further from the truth.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

If you're not rich, you ain't my friend. If you're not my friend, you're not using an iPhone thus not using iMessage. So I don't really care.

Get ouf of this body , Tim

 

[Mac_The_Ripper]

Don't all RCS messages traverse Google servers? No thanks.

Yeah, I'm sure Google is very interested in what you have to say! 🤣

 

[Mac_The_Ripper]

If you're not rich, you ain't my friend. If you're not my friend, you're not using an iPhone thus not using iMessage. So I don't really care.

Buah ha ha, spare me!

 

[tomnavratil]

Yeah, I'm sure Google is very interested in what you have to say! 🤣

Well considering their overall business model, their ToS and privacy policy, they are interested in data overall. Be it the content of messages themselves or the metadata. After all, Gmail reads your emails and Google scans Google drive for content, why would this be any different?

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

Yep, unfortunately, you have many members in the Commission and Parliament not understanding technology, different protocols, security and encryption. They do have many great ideas (like pushing a common charging standard) but this is not one of them. Give consumers choices, market will sort this out just fine.

It’s safe to say that EU politicians aren’t exactly tech savvy, no. Lmao!

 

[Iconoclysm]

This is some big Steve Jobs energy and I am all for it. Haha.

Except that it's deceiving in the truth about Google's implementation of RCS...and will come back to bite them once people start digging a little further.

 

[talosman]

do a google search on RCS spam... for example, AndroidPolice website stated the only way to block RCS spam is to turn off RCS, so why bother?

Spammy ads are invading Google Messages

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I think the cherry on top is the fact Samsung commented in the video saying "We'd never be the reason someone can't receive a clear photo from a loved one." Gotta support others making the same bad iPhone attack ads that you do

Google, stick with the #BestPhonesForever ads. Those are actually cute ads. #GetTheMessage ain't it, this is Samsung level cringe.

 

[dugbug]

a laughably ineffective campaign.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Don't all RCS messages traverse Google servers? No thanks.

Yes, it's not true RCS - it's just a Google built service that phone providers opted into.

 

[tomnavratil]

It’s safe to say that EU politicians aren’t exactly tech savvy, no. Lmao!

I mean I do have a love/hate relationship with their policy in technology. A lot of the work EU has done in the past years have been great. Promoting transparency, security, privacy, free market and is generally pro-consumer. However there are areas where I believe the market will sort it itself. Messaging apps for example are a great example. And I remember the AOL Messenger, ICQ and MSN Messenger.