More Than 1 Billion RCS Messages Are Sent Daily on Android and iOS

[Hallouminati]

For cross platform (and even iPhone to iPhone) communications I use Signal.

...or use WhatsApp, like the rest of the world does.

This is the way.

 

[jjrtiger]

Google forces all RCS messages sent using Google Messages to go through their server. They have a non-standard RCS implementation which allows them to capture more data about those messages. It also allows them to track who is messaging who and when. They can then associate that with all the other information they have on users, like their location, what they've been searching for, and much more.

Where is the EU complaint on this?

 

[fwmireault]

I don't care how many people use What's app, I don't follow the crowds. I used to get some people sending me invites, but they have given up now and just use SMS or phone me. Signal needs the other people to use it, and I don't think anyone I know does. SMS, everyone that has a mobile phone can use SMS , the majority, certainly in the U.K get a load of SMS in with their contract. I get unlimited SMS and I think most people do these days.

The problem I would have with signal is the same as one of the problems I have with Whatsapp, they require your phone number, why is a phone number needed?

I tell my phone number to people I know, I get annoyed when people I know pass my number on to other people without my permission.

As i have said to people, I have email, Voice, SMS and if they really need to, Facebook Messenger, why do I need any more ways t be contacted?

I don’t understand why you would disable it, you dont have to use the messaging features and options if you don’t use them, even with RCA enabled. And with better compatibility and soon improved security and privacy, it is a no brainer to keep it enabled. That doesn’t mean that you MUST use all the features

 

[subjonas]

Now there are Samsung users in group chats refusing to use Google Messages and are keeping the group chat on SMS… 😑

Any chance the Samsung text app will get RCS?

 

[quietstormSD]

For cross platform (and even iPhone to iPhone) communications I use Signal.

...or use WhatsApp, like the rest of the world does.

Pete... is that you?

 

[azhava]

Maybe they have the read receipt feature turned off like I do.

It's one of the first settings I turn off when I get a new phone. I don't want people knowing if/when I read their texts - sometimes I'm busy and can't respond right away, sometimes I need some time to consider my answer, and sometimes I'm deliberately ignoring them.


As far as other apps, the Messages app works fine for me. If I send a message to somebody with an iPhone it uses iMessage - if I send to somebody using an Android phone, it automatically uses RCS, no intervention required on my part. Nobody I know uses Signal or WhatsApp, and the only reason I have WhatsApp on my phone is for one ongoing group chat with a bunch of friends. If I could get them all to move that chat to another platform I would, as I consider anything from Meta akin to having malware/spyware on my phone.

I have no desire to be in a situation where I communicate with friends on two or three different platforms and have to continually juggle multiple apps to stay on top of conversations. Other than that one group chat, everybody I converse with is on Message - or if we need to call, we use the stock Phone app. It's platform agnostic and I don't know anybody who doesn't have unlimited calling minutes in this day and age.

 

[Dr McKay]

Its a cool feature but it doesnt show when theyve read the text, it shows when theyre typing though. I think its a glitch in ios 18.5 It mightve been in ios 18.4.1 but I see it in 18.5

I have read receipts turned off for every messaging app that supports it.

 

[bluecoast]

Great that RCS is picking up. Looking forward to apple - and google - adding the fully agreed e2ee standard later on this year.

Looking forward to apple allowing us to change the colour of our chat bubbles too - and to stop being so asinine about this.

I remember using Adium on the Mac in the 00s and it had this ‘advanced’ feature.

Signal even has it nowadays and it’s open source, so apple could borrow their code if they’re scratching their heads about how to implement this…

I’ve mentioned this a few times here, but outside of the USA the blue vs green bubble thing is a total non issue.

Apple’s attempt to use iMessage for platform lock-in only worked in the USA. The rest of the world mostly uses WhatsApp (unfortunately, given how horrible meta is).

 

[TimFL1]

Where is the EU complaint on this?

On what grounds? Carriers are free to host their own RCS hub and expose that to Google Messages. You only go through Jibe directly when your carrier refuses to provide a hub (hint: pretty much no one runs RCS hubs anymore, they all dropped them and migrated to Jibe).

Not that it matters, RCS isn‘t E2EE properly yet so all messages go through Jibe more or less anyways (the likelihood of all chat participants being on anything but Jibe is zero, so messages touch Jibe regardless of what endpoint you use).

Also, once UP 3.0 hits and most get MLS E2EE, this is pretty much a non-issue.

 

[svish]

Good that RCS is now supported by iPhone. However in my country, I am still waiting for carrier support for the same. Hopefully it will be enabled soon.

 

[derbyshire2013]

I don’t use apps like WhatsApp (just a personal preference) but I have also disabled RCS myself for the time being.

Both carriers I use in the UK support it but have lost count the amount of times it’s failed to send the message despite having either a good cellular signal or I’ve been using Wi-Fi.

Could just be me 🤷🏽

 

[MrArthegor]

That’s a ridiculous stance🤦🏻‍♂️ so for some bizarre reason you turn off newer better messaging to use an ancient standard that can’t even send decent photos?

I also have disabled RCS, because it’s useless for me, but also because now enterprises begin to send unsolicited messages via this method, so disabling RCS remove me some of this messages (not all unfortunately, but with RCS adoption maybe some day)

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Not all the world use Whatsapp or Signal, the problem with these services is that the person you are messaging have to use these as well. Every single phone has at least SMS, so if you message using RCS, it will still be received buy the majority if not all the phones around, evcen if it is recieved as a SMS.

I know people, including myself, that would not touch WhatsApp with a bargepole and most of them would not even have heard of signal.

to send messages to people on different messaging services, you need an app for each one, just like the days when we had AIM and MS messenger, ICQ and Yahoo messenger, in that you had to have multiple software. some software did come out that combined them all, but as far as i know, there are no apps on mobiles to combine all these messaging services.

Here's how it works:

Person A: are you on whatsapp?
B: yep
A: cool
[swap phone numbers]
[sends message via whatsapp]

OR
B: nope, you on insta?
A: yep
[swap instas]
[sends message via insta]

etc.

Advantages: One of you goes overseas, can still send the messages via those apps without racking up nasty overseas sms charges.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

iMessage doesn't seem to work anymore here in Germany, don't know why. I don't get a blue background with any text sent, even though I know, the recipient is an iPhone user.

iPhone users can turn off iMessage. Me and my entire family did years ago, when we discovered it was losing messages between us. Turning it off solved the problem. iPhones can have some strange bugs, and this iMessage thing wasn't the only annoying issue I had. Weird, but true.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Until the government in the U.K stops it and to be honest, I am not bothered about end-to-end encryption, what I use SMS for is not that interesting or important.
it is the other stuff they add to RCS that I don't need either, like seeing when the other person is typing, I don't want to see if they are typing or them to see if I am typing, delivered notifications are good enough. They will reply in their own time
i don't need or want Emojis, and I certainly don't want anyone to send a video or photo via RCS. I have email if they want to do that.
I did use a diffeerant text app, but for some reason it is playing up, as soon as i put Android message to default it asked me about chat (RCS), so I disabled it there and then. If i ever got a Iphone, I would do the same with that.

Luddites be luddites. I DO NOT WANT BETTER TECHNOLOGY. MY HORSE AND CART WORKS JUST FINE THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

 

[nottorp]

I wonder if the whatsapp territories even noticed this RCS thingy

Are there special charges from the cell provider depending on the number of tokens in a RCS message?

 

[Ad47uk]

You may as well just have kept a flip phone.

I wish I did in some ways, but you can do other things with a smartphone, it is not just about messaging

 

[Ad47uk]

That’s a ridiculous stance🤦🏻‍♂️ so for some bizarre reason you turn off newer better messaging to use an ancient standard that can’t even send decent photos?

I don't want to send photos via text, I have other ways to do that, if I really need to.
SMS for the most part is reliable, and it does what it says on the tin. Sure, for longer messages it changes to MMS these days, but still reliable. Most of the messages I send or receive are, How are you, do you want to meet for a pint, want to meet for a coffee?

so why do I need anything other than SMS?

 

[Ad47uk]

Luddites be luddites. I DO NOT WANT BETTER TECHNOLOGY. MY HORSE AND CART WORKS JUST FINE THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I never said I don't want better technology, certainly not a Luddite, my house is full of smart devices, including a few Echo dots, Philips Hue lights and some smart plugs. Just have no need for a messaging service with all the stuff that RCS has and even if i used it, I would disable most of the features.

 

[Pecka]

No Swedish operator have RCS support for iPhone.

 

[Fatboy71]

Its a cool feature but it doesnt show when theyve read the text, it shows when theyre typing though. I think its a glitch in ios 18.5 It mightve been in ios 18.4.1 but I see it in 18.

Definitely was showing read before 18.5. I only installed 18.5 yesterday and I haven't sent an RCS message since installing it, but I'll check the next time I send one.

 

[Marbles1]

Best part of iOS 18 is RCS. Coming in iOS 19 I understand we will get edit after sending and unsend.

Could I use WhatsApp or Signal or Facebook Messenger instead? I could. But RCS is simple. Android people get to use Google Messages and I get to use Apple Messages. Win Win

It's crazy it's taken this long for a 'universal' standard to be implemented by both major platforms.

Until recently the only 'widely accepted' comms protocols were email, which dates back to 1971 and SMS messaging since 1992. There was a brief period where MSN Messenger and Yahoo messenger could interact, and Facebook messenger briefly had an open implementation where you could use other clients but time and again every company shut them down.

Annoying that WhatsApp is so big globally when it too is a closed, proprietary application. I'd hope with RCS being picked up by Apple that it grows... but... network effects and all that. Facebook will spend whatever it takes to keep WhatsApp on top.

 

[davide_eu]

Not all the world use Whatsapp or Signal, the problem with these services is that the person you are messaging have to use these as well. Every single phone has at least SMS, so if you message using RCS, it will still be received buy the majority if not all the phones around, evcen if it is recieved as a SMS.

It's correct that not all the world is using WsUp as well as nobody here is using it, but WsUp is much more pervasive than MR users believe.

 

[Ad47uk]

I don’t understand why you would disable it, you dont have to use the messaging features and options if you don’t use them, even with RCA enabled. And with better compatibility and soon improved security and privacy, it is a no brainer to keep it enabled. That doesn’t mean that you MUST use all the features

Then what is the point in having it if I disable or don't use the features? i can imagine what it would be like with some people sending a load of Emojis because they can, sometimes English looks like something from another langage, maybe we are going back to Ancient Egypt and use Hieroglyphs. At least with SMS, all they can send is thumbs up/down and some smilies.

You say better compatibility, that don't make sense. All phones have SMS, not all phones have RCS. So SMS is more compatible. I can text a mate who has a basic mobile phone, and it will arrive to him as it left here, not converted so his phone can cope with it.
Correct me if I am wrong, but the version of RCS on iPhones have to be supported by the networks, so since in ther U.K, the couple of networks that did support RCS have now dropped it and rely on Google for it, then RCS on Iphones are not going to work here.
How many networks in the U.S. or other countries for that matter support RCS directly?
The only way I can use RCS is to allow my messages to go through Google servers.

 

[davide_eu]

I don’t understand why you would disable it, you dont have to use the messaging features and options if you don’t use them, even with RCA enabled. And with better compatibility and soon improved security and privacy, it is a no brainer to keep it enabled. That doesn’t mean that you MUST use all the features

It's a prefence. I have disabled imsg on my corporate phone...