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Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

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Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#41

Post by jonnytran »

entropea wrote: post #25
joshstrange wrote: post #9

The only SMS's I get nowadays are from automated systems (bill pay reminders, shipping, energy usage, etc). I don't talk to a single friend over SMS anymore. It's either iMessage or FB messenger (for Android people). Both of those provide a MUCH better experience and even if Apple ever supports RCS (I kind of hope they don't and it dies off) I won't use it without encryption. RCS is such a clusterfuck and I the carri…

I use Android and moved my entire family and friend base to Signal and no longer talk to people outside of Signal unless something automated sends me SMS/MMS. Encryption is a must for me. Thinking about moving to iOS because of the privacy & encryption.

I feel the same. However, as an avid Signal user, I feel I must warn you of a huge issue in the Signal iOS client that has been open for years -- it doesn't support backup or transferring your messages to a new phone.

https://community.signalusers.org/t/ios-backup-keeping-messa...

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#42

Post by ClassyJacket »

stefan_ wrote: post #32

Carriers charging for messaging? I feel like I'm in a time machine. Guys, the internet was invented! Is there no one in charge of strategy at Google? This is an embarrassment.

I think we've known for a long time there is nobody in charge of strategy at Google. Look at what they did to Android Wear, Hangouts, Duo, Allo...

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#43

Post by Arathorn »

Implementing RCS 5.1 (while at Amdocs, a telecoms vendor) was one of the main things which drove the creation of Matrix.org, fwiw. We had never seen such a sprawling and incoherent standard, and so did the thought experiment of what the opposite non-telcoy approach might look like.

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#44

Post by MBCook »

dbbk wrote: post #29
Barrin92 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

facebook doesn't store your (sent) whatsapp messages, and in contrast to sms they're by default encrypted. "Your Messages. We do not retain your messages in the ordinary course of providing our Services to you. Once your messages (including your chats, photos, videos, voice messages, files, and share location information) are delivered, they are deleted from our servers. Your messages are stored on your own device. I…

I really don't think the average person cares if their texts are end-to-end encrypted, though. I'm not sure most people even know what that would mean.

I agree the average person doesn’t know what it is, but I bet they would care if they did.

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#45

Post by dRaBoQ »

kilroy123 wrote: post #4

The whole world has already moved beyond texting. It's called WhatsApp. I'm from the US but I've lived abroad the last four years. I'm still surprised so many people "back home" continue to use SMS texting. Everyone I know around the world uses WhatsApp. Literally, in every single continent I know and chat with people on WhatsApp. Only Americans still use SMS from what I've seen. I just don't get it.

Not in China. Its WeChat all the way, even when they live and work abroad.

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#46

Post by Barrin92 »

dbbk wrote: post #29
Barrin92 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

facebook doesn't store your (sent) whatsapp messages, and in contrast to sms they're by default encrypted. "Your Messages. We do not retain your messages in the ordinary course of providing our Services to you. Once your messages (including your chats, photos, videos, voice messages, files, and share location information) are delivered, they are deleted from our servers. Your messages are stored on your own device. I…

I really don't think the average person cares if their texts are end-to-end encrypted, though. I'm not sure most people even know what that would mean.

I didn't assert tha the average person cares, just that the original claim about whatsapp is false.

And also: it doesn't matter whether end users care about encryption or not, it still benefits them, this is exactly why end-to-end encryption is a very good default.

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#47

Post by AbrahamParangi »

pfundstein wrote: post #37
AbrahamParangi wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iOS holds something like 50% of US marketshare and iMessage takes a lot of the wind out of third-party messaging apps.

According to StatCounter, the iOS market share in the US is 57% [0]. But worldwide it is only 22% with Android at 75% [1]. [0] http://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/united-stat... [1] http://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/worldwide

Yes, hence the lower penetration of third party messaging apps in the US. In the US iMessage does much of what you'd want a third party app for and it's transparently integrated with SMS for approximately half the population.

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#48

Post by earenndil »

dbbk wrote: post #27
dmitrygr wrote: post #2

RCS solves NONE of the problems that need solving, and only gives carriers another thing to charge for. Specifically: * the spec is very very complex, and most parts are optional, so no two phones/carriers/manufacturers/OS versions will ever agree on anything but the basic minimal set of features. * there is no specification for end-to-end encryption, and even if there were, it would be optional (as noted above) * RC…

* Phone number-as-identity is so stupid, even apple admitted it iMessage automatically working with phone numbers was the main reason it catapulted to such high usage so quickly. People didn't have to change their workflow, they just got brought into it automatically.

There is a mapping from phone number to identity, but the phone number isn't itself the identity.

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#49

Post by earenndil »

dRaBoQ wrote: post #45
kilroy123 wrote: post #4

The whole world has already moved beyond texting. It's called WhatsApp. I'm from the US but I've lived abroad the last four years. I'm still surprised so many people "back home" continue to use SMS texting. Everyone I know around the world uses WhatsApp. Literally, in every single continent I know and chat with people on WhatsApp. Only Americans still use SMS from what I've seen. I just don't get it.

Not in China. Its WeChat all the way, even when they live and work abroad.

Yep. It's quite clever, actually: chinese people come to other countries, they use wechat, they make friends, their friends want to communicate with them so they start using wechat. It's penetrating other markets that way, slowly but surely.

Re: Google Is Taking Charge of the RCS Rollout

#50

Post by v7p1Qbt1im »

x2f10 wrote: post #36
v7p1Qbt1im wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is yes. But Messages would presumably be preinstalled. In that case the EU would have a problem with it most likely. If it weren‘t preinstalled. We‘ll then it‘s pretty much Signal for example and that doesn‘t solve the problem. iMessage works because it‘s preinstalled and default. It‘s a miracle and kind of ironic that SMS being non-free drove the whole world (except the US where it was) away from it.

>iMessage works because it‘s preinstalled and default. Is this country dependent? It is absolutely on-by-default in the United States.

True. Now that you mention it. I seem to remember having iMessage (the feature) be opt-in in Europe. So the feature is on by default in the US for sure? I guess that somehow negates my earlier post. But I suppose people would notice the green bubbles everywhere and remember to turn it on.

Hmm is this a defense against antitrust concerns as well?

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