It’s so demeaning
Google needs to stop demanding Apple into adopting RCS or Rich Communication Services to its iMessages. It’s so demeaning to publicly start campaigning against a monopoly like Apple – and the search giant has even launched a new website “Get The Message” that clearly mocks Apple for using its aging SMS and MMS standards over the
modern industry standard.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a green bubble vs. blue bubble debate in the group chat.
— Google (@Google) August 9, 2022
Texting with friends shouldn’t be complicated. That’s why it's time for Apple to #GetTheMessage. Learn more ↓ https://t.co/guGdlHT2k8
What The Website Has To Say:
The website admittedly shames Apple for not adopting the modern texting standards when iPhone users text Android users. It’s the
hesitance in adopting this system that crops up problems like blurry videos, broken group chats, missing read receipts, compressed images, and typing indicators.
The company drops a series of tantrums using Drake’s “Text Go Green” song. This song triggered the Google media team to push Apple to embrace RCS in iMessage. It so happened when Drake’s album included an audio clip in which a relationship comes to an end when one of the partners could not expressively explain his or her feelings.
The music composer chose the phrase “Texts Go Green” to convey his feelings. This prompted Google to mock Apple and its messaging platform. The music hit Google in a clever way which it used to start the trend #TextGoGreen on Twitter and Instagram.
Drake’s song is a call for Apple to turn its iMessages into a modern texting system which Google calls RCS. Google uses the analogy to compare the problem with iMessage to Drake’s song. They compare the problems that iMessages have when texting Android users like
end-to-end encryption, blurry videos, and broken group chats.
The iPhone-to-iPhone conversation has no issues with video quality or resolution and it is end-to-end encrypted for its own ecosystem but when someone with iPhone texts an Android user, the blue bubble turns green and we get pixelated, messed up video, for instance.
In spite of all these problems, Google through its website says,
There’s a really clear solution”
Google suggests RCS over SMS or MMS technology in the 90s and 00s. Adopting this new thread would not hurt or affect iPhone-to-iPhone conversation and would make messaging even better for everyone.
Apple’s Take On This
Apple doesn’t have any incentive to change its iMessaging for Android users.
Think rationally. Why would Apple want the users to take advantage of
iPhone-like features on their Android phones?
They want as many people to use iPhones as part of their daily lives. So, if an Android phone doesn’t work well with videos and text messages they want to send to their iPhone users, the catch here is to get an iPhone to join the iMessage community.
Here’s another argument: If Apple, hypothetically, supports RCS, then all the new phones shipping with the Rich Communication Service would take advantage of all the great things that iMessage has for its iPhone users. This means that there would be no point to get an iPhone
and lock yourself into its own ecosystem. Apple would never want that.
Also, why would Apple add support for RCS protocol when an iPhone-to-iPhone conversation is great and adding RCS would only help others and give a better experience but make them less likely to become part of the iPhone?
What Hiroshi Lockheimer Has To Say?
Hiroshi doesn’t say that iMessage should be for Android. They just want RCS support for iMessage and there is no reason to not add RCS to Apple Message.
Why Don’t We Use WhatsApp Or Telegram?
Many would argue for to use of WhatsApp or Telegram as an alternative to messaging. But, nobody would want to use another
app for one group chat while you can use iMessage for multiple group chats.
An Argument Against Apple Not Using RCS:
Apple is a very privacy-centric company that stresses on security and privacy of your Apple devices. It takes pride in its ability to make privacy a thing to consider. However, SMS is not tight on its bolt and makes privacy a concern.
While RCS is now more encrypted and secured, if you send messages from an iPhone to Android, you are making it open to security threats. So, your messages are now less private. The only way Apple can avoid this is to add RCS as its messaging protocol or boycott Android users (which you know is absurd).
