'It's Time for Apple to Fix Texting' Says New Android Website Pushing RCS Messaging Technology

[jsmith78]

RCS is practically a walking corpse. That said, apple should still adopt it into the default messages app. It is a significant upgrade over SMS and while the carrier lockout issues are dumb, people can always continue to use other apps like they already are doing if they are a dealbreaker. SMS is just as unencrypted as RCS is, it's not like it uniquely erodes your privacy.

They should probably just choose a new color for RCS to avoid it being confusing over if you're doing SMS or RCS, like orange or purple.

Not sure, but does sending an RCS message to a user who's carrier doesn't support it or has locked it out automatically fall-Back to SMS? it seems like a mixed-bag depending on carrier and device (there appears to be device specific options to fall-back to SMS, but then I see users complaining that this isn't reliable if the problem is on the receiver's end.) - so lack of reliability (an guaranteed encryption) might deter Apple.

Apple is in the business of tech that "Just Works", implementing a protocol that sometimes encrypts other times not, maybe gets delivered, maybe doesn't - just would tarnish their product.

I mean AT&T is/was locked as to who you could message with RCS

https://www.reddit.com/r/ATT/comments/uynozy

 

[dk001]

The big question is does someone have a setting wrong? I can see pics as MMS from non iMessage users

Depends on the resolution.

From a Note 10 (Messages) to my 13PM (Messages), HD photos and video are of much less quality. In the reverse Apple Messages seriously over-compresses the outbound pics. Disabling Low Quality Image on the iPhone helps.

From Note 10 (Messages) to my 1+ 9Pro (Messages) using RCS, HD and video quality is not degraded. Either direction.

 

[RoboCop001]

The line height on that heading is what's broken 😂😂

 

[jsmith78]

As an ex-Android-user these are my observations: #1 I have no issues with Android and iMessage conflicts, although the functionality between them is not equal. It's okay, I can still communicate just fine. And #2 - Have you ever had Google give you a helpful MESSAGE that your Credit Card BALANCE was DUE on a certain day? Did you know they got that information from the email your Credit Card company emailed to your Gmail account? Do you believe that their other technologies are any more considerate of your privacy? #3. Ex-Android user experience: Google apps and Exchange apps very frequently have 'broken' functionality issues between them, which are NEVER resolved. It isn't an Apple issue - welcome to Android-land. Personally, I don't have any need to go back to Android's glitchy technologies!

I have seen lot's of chats online complaining of lock-in, broken features, etc... If apple adopts this tech then these problems become apple's problems, and they don't want that.

if, if, RCS ever gets to become the new de-facto standard for messaging on non-iphones and truly replaces SMS then I'm sure apple will switch.

 

[dk001]

My understanding is none of the wireless carriers in the United States even support RCS messaging but instead use Google to send/deliver RCS messages.

For AT&T:
"Does Advanced Messaging from AT&T adhere to RCS standards? Yes! The Advanced Messaging enhancements being introduced to Android smartphones adhere to RCS standards. AT&T has made a number of network updates to support Advanced Messaging."

For Verizon:
"Verizon is the last of the major carriers to officially announce Android RCS support. T-Mobile began supporting the new standard in 2020, while AT&T announced the switch back in June 2021."

For T-Mobile:
"T-Mobile and Google partner to enable T-Mobile customers with RCS UP 1.0 Android devices to get a RCS messaging experience while texting with Android users on other networks. Previously, RCS UP 1.0 messaging capabilities were only available while messaging with other T-Mobile customers."

 

[Thebrochure]

Begone, you green-bubbled plebeians!

 

[egdiroh]

Except AT&T and T-Mobile don't run RCS, they run their customers through Googles non-industry-standard RCS+ where google owns your identity.

With SMS, the carrier owns it. But you don't get multi-device or end to end encryption in that scenario. for that you need a root of trust.

Let google own your identity, and google might decide to start routing your messages to your logged in google apps instead of the app on the phone. Apple isn't going to add support for google messaging into it's app. And the carriers were abandoning a platform agnostic RCS before they had all adopted it.

This whole campaign is just google trying to emulate Microsoft from the late 90s. This campaign should be rated pants on fire.

 

[bobmans]

The day Apple adopts RCS might be the day that carriers might actually start giving a **** about it. RCS at the moment is so fragmented, confusing and bad.

You can’t RCS between carriers usually or you need a special plan to use it for some carriers, it’s just terrible. When you’re using RCS then half of the time it’s not even RCS but some half-assed Google wrapper over it.

Google/Android wants Apple to adopt RCS only so that carriers will have to start caring more about it.

 

[dk001]

If all/most Android phone makers agree to adopt RCS, and if they get it working correctly on all/most Android phones, to the point that Android users are having a smooth, consistent, RCS experience when messaging each other, and the only ones missing out on those RCS messages are iPhone users — then, I'm betting, Apple will suddenly launch support for RCS.

But if the Android people can't get it together like that? Then Apple won't touch it. Why the hell would they? Google wants Apple to adopt it so Apple can provide the magic glue that gets everybody else in line with it. Apple would be a complete chump if it fell for that.

Google told us for a decade or more that Android was surely going to replace iPhone, that it was a big advantage that Android phones are made by fifty different companies. OK, Google, show us your big advantage: Make RCS a success without Apple's help.

The RCS version that Google is using has been adopted globally as the RCS being used. Pretty much every country has adopted it. I think only Russia and China fail to fully support it.

As of last year, I do not think carrier support is needed to use RCS. have not tried that.
"Where is Google's RCS officially available? Google has now rolled out RCS via its Google Messages app worldwide with only a few countries lacking support. While carrier support is no longer specifically needed, you will need to be able to download the Google Messages app as well as access Google's services."

 

[Artemis70]

RCS is not an industry standard. I'm not sure if operators need to be involved though. Right now, only Google and Samsung support it. Last I heard, Google enhanced the RCS Universal Profile, and all messages go through Google's servers. I could be wrong here, but this is what I read last time RCS was discussed on Macrumors. If that is true, I hope that Apple stays far away from RCS.

 

[egdiroh]

For AT&T:
"Does Advanced Messaging from AT&T adhere to RCS standards? Yes! The Advanced Messaging enhancements being introduced to Android smartphones adhere to RCS standards. AT&T has made a number of network updates to support Advanced Messaging."

For Verizon:
"Verizon is the last of the major carriers to officially announce Android RCS support. T-Mobile began supporting the new standard in 2020, while AT&T announced the switch back in June 2021."

For T-Mobile:
"T-Mobile and Google partner to enable T-Mobile customers with RCS UP 1.0 Android devices to get a RCS messaging experience while texting with Android users on other networks. Previously, RCS UP 1.0 messaging capabilities were only available while messaging with other T-Mobile customers."

That seems to deviate from this reporting from 2019: https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/30/22556686/att-android-phones-rcs-google-messages, or at least potentially gloss over the fact that google is acting as the RCS identity owner.

 

[farmboy]

Remember that one time when Steve Jobs had to bow to Microsoft's bailout of Apple back in 1997 and Steve Jobs said Apple is a company that believes in choice?

No?

Here's a video of it:

"Since we believe in choice, we're gonna be shipping other internet browsers as well..."


LOOOOOOL, Apple's never EVER been about choice. This company has the biggest hard on for restrictions of any tech giant, EVER.

Nice revisionist history. Remember when Microsoft actually paid Apple to drop the 10-year old lawsuit alleging that Microsoft copied the look and feel of the Mac operating system? It was not a bailout, and Apple had $1.2 Billion in cash in the bank at the time, back when a billion was real money. And the entire deal was more complicated than that transaction, given that federal authorities were looking into Microsoft's monopolistic tendencies, and this deal, including continuing Office for Mac, made them look slightly less so.

 

[dk001]

Not sure, but does sending an RCS message to a user who's carrier doesn't support it or has locked it out automatically fall-Back to SMS? it seems like a mixed-bag depending on carrier and device (there appears to be device specific options to fall-back to SMS, but then I see users complaining that this isn't reliable if the problem is on the receiver's end.) - so lack of reliability (an guaranteed encryption) might deter Apple.

Apple is in the business of tech that "Just Works", implementing a protocol that sometimes encrypts other times not, maybe gets delivered, maybe doesn't - just would tarnish their product.

I mean AT&T is/was locked as to who you could message with RCS

https://www.reddit.com/r/ATT/comments/uynozy

Maybe because it is carrier locked?
I have an unlocked 1+ 9Pro that was on AT&T and RCS went via Google. I have since switched it to Mint and it still goes via Google.

One of my issues when I was swapping phones, I would take my SIM from 1+ to my iPhone and all RCS messages would still come to the 1+.

 

[SMH4KIDIOT]

The day Apple adopts RCS might be the day that carriers might actually start giving a **** about it. RCS at the moment is so fragmented, confusing and bad.

You can’t RCS between carriers usually or you need a special plan to use it for some carriers, it’s just terrible. When you’re using RCS then half of the time it’s not even RCS but some half-assed Google wrapper over it.

Google/Android wants Apple to adopt RCS only so that carriers will have to start caring more about it.

All major carriers have adopted Google's implementation of RCS.

TMobile

RCS Advanced Messaging

Learn about T-Mobile and Google's partnership to enable T-Mobile customers with Rich Communication Services while texting Android users on other networks.

www.t-mobile.com

ATT

Enhancing the messaging experience for all Android users in the US on AT&T | Google Workspace Blog

Messages by Google is now the default messaging app for all AT&T customers using Android phones in the United States.

cloud.google.com

Verizon

Verizon and Google team up to bring enhanced messaging services to Android users

Verizon announced a collaboration with Google to expand advanced messaging services to Android users in the U.S. starting next year using Google’s Android Messages app.

www.verizon.com

All they need now is Apple to adopt it as fallback for none iMessage texts.

 

[dk001]

That seems to deviate from this reporting from 2019: https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/30/22556686/att-android-phones-rcs-google-messages, or at least potentially gloss over the fact that google is acting as the RCS identity owner.

All of these I quoted were dated 2021.

 

[GhostRaider]

To be honest why would Apple care to adopt RCS? Reality speaking we have many apps that can do things that are soo much better than just regular texting. Texting is just that. It was never meant for anything else. Google is complaining because they never made their own messaging protocol. And because people are switching out of Android. Apple doesn’t need to oblige here. 🤷‍♂️

 

[montuori]

Meh. It's all about advertising. Check out Google's RCS "Success Stories" (https://jibe.google.com/success-stories/) and maybe read about the abuse of the "Verified Business" feature in India (https://9to5google.com/2022/06/01/google-rcs-ads-india-pause/).

Sure, better inter-OS messaging would be great but not if it means receiving (even more) spam.

 

[CaTOAGU]

LOL

 

[BuffaloTF]

Neither Google nor Apple sell your data that they collect to 3rd party. Both companies collect and uses your personal data for targeted advertising, but it doesn’t sell it to 3rd-party advertisers. Advertisers can pay Google or Apple to be seen on your iPhone or Android device. If they sell your data then that means they don't make any money as the advertisers can target you themselves with the data that both Apple, Google and every 3rd party service you use collect. This website you are on currently, serves targeted ads.

MacRumors Privacy, Contact, and DMCA Information

Sigh... yes they do. You're just playing semantics. You, specifically, are not being sold. You are categorized, and sold as a group, anonymously, as a "you-want-to-buy-ads-for-this-group" product... and then you're fed those ads that they sell. You are in many of those groups. And the more information you feed it, the more specific they become. You are the product, regardless of what semantics you want to put around it. Your conversation history is an untapped market for data analytics... and, huge bonus, it's already written in text to make it as easily categorized as your web searches.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

Hahahaha, never gonna happen.

My Messages app works just fine (all my direct family uses iPhones) .

 

[I7guy]

Again

Google adds E2E RCS encryption to Messages, emoji mashup suggests, and more for Android

Assistant will be able to show info from apps in widget form.

www.theverge.com

You can repeat this a google times. Let google do what it wants.

 

[FindingAvalon]

“The website says that iPhones downgrade photos and videos from Android users, prevent people from leaving group chats with Android users, stop ‌iPhone‌ users from texting Android phones over WiFi, make messages from Android users difficult to read, and leave messages between iOS and Android users unencrypted.”

Apple and iPhones do none of those things. The limitations of SMS/MMS are the cause of those things.

 

[BuffaloTF]

Not sure, but does sending an RCS message to a user who's carrier doesn't support it or has locked it out automatically fall-Back to SMS? it seems like a mixed-bag depending on carrier and device (there appears to be device specific options to fall-back to SMS, but then I see users complaining that this isn't reliable if the problem is on the receiver's end.) - so lack of reliability (an guaranteed encryption) might deter Apple.

Apple is in the business of tech that "Just Works", implementing a protocol that sometimes encrypts other times not, maybe gets delivered, maybe doesn't - just would tarnish their product.

I mean AT&T is/was locked as to who you could message with RCS

https://www.reddit.com/r/ATT/comments/uynozy

MurphyMoose needs take no other steps than to install Google's Messages app, and then delete off (or just remove from the main menu bar and all home screens) the AT&T messages app.

It's a specific app, not just any app. It's really no different than installing WhatsApp or Signal.

And in an upcoming release, RCS adds the ability to use an identifier other than a phone number too - to decouple it further and enable true multi-device support.

 

[bobmans]

All major carriers have adopted Google's implementation of RCS.

TMobile

RCS Advanced Messaging

Learn about T-Mobile and Google's partnership to enable T-Mobile customers with Rich Communication Services while texting Android users on other networks.

www.t-mobile.com

ATT

Enhancing the messaging experience for all Android users in the US on AT&T | Google Workspace Blog

Messages by Google is now the default messaging app for all AT&T customers using Android phones in the United States.

cloud.google.com

Verizon

Verizon and Google team up to bring enhanced messaging services to Android users

Verizon announced a collaboration with Google to expand advanced messaging services to Android users in the U.S. starting next year using Google’s Android Messages app.

www.verizon.com

All they need now is Apple to adopt it as fallback for none iMessage texts.

You just proved my point?

T-Mobile

To experience RCS messaging features while texting with users on other networks, you need an Android smartphone with RCS Universal Profile 1.0 (UP 1.0) capabilities and be messaging with another T-Mobile user with a UP 1.0 device or with someone using chat features on the Messages app by Google.

RCS through carrier network is still carrier-locked with fallback on Google's wrapper that's going through Google servers.

AT&T

Today, we’re announcing that we’re working with AT&T to establish Messages by Google as the default messaging application for all AT&T customers in the United States using Android phones. The collaboration aims to help accelerate the industry toward global Rich Communication Services (RCS) coverage and interoperability to offer a consistent, secure, and enhanced messaging experience for all Android users around the world.

AT&T fully ditched supporting RCS on their own network and just made Messages by Google the default app, all RCS going through Google instead of carrier-network.

Verizon

Messages by Google will be preloaded, starting next year, on all Verizon Android devices, enabling consumers to enjoy rich messaging features, such as sending and receiving higher-quality photos and videos, chatting over Wi-Fi or data, knowing when your message is read, enjoying more dynamic and engaging group chats, and securely chatting with other Messages users in available one-on-one conversations with end-to-end encryption.

Same as AT&T, all RCS going through Google instead of carrier-network.


The problem with RCS is that Google took this standard and is trying to control it instead of making the carriers support it natively. Right now not a single RCS message except for T-Mobile -> T-Mobile goes through that carriers network anymore. It's all going through Google. There's no way Apple is going to support RCS untill carriers support it natively on their own carrier-network.

 

[maxoakland]

Who are they advertising to? Apple users have no issue with Messages and it has more features than RCS. And Android users don’t have any power over Apple’s choices. Even less than Apple customers do