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Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

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Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#101

Post by Almondsetat »

freedomben wrote: post #74
Almondsetat wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is about the features though. Apple users snob Android users because group messaging doesn’t work well, media features are not supported, etc. RCS offers such a rich environment that Apple could finally truly integrate most stuff transparently with iMessage. Send a video to the group chat? Everyone gets it at full quality. Make a poll? Everyone can vote.

You're both right. The features matter, but so does the social stigma of bubble color. Nothing will still have a feature and an edge by offering a "blue bubble" on Android, but this announcement would reduce my excitement a little bit if I were them.

The features Apple could not integrate with RCS will be very few, like watching an AppleTV show together or create a FaceTime call without having visible links in the chat.

The social stigma stems from iMessage giving Apple users advanced and integrated messaging for free since the very beginning, which “spoiled” people into not wanting to deal with pure SMS chats.

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#102

Post by jdiez17 »

lxgr wrote: post #82
rattlesnakedave wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple only has dominant marketshare in the US. Everywhere else in the world people use Whatsapp. Why didn't they all hop on the RCS train? Because it sucks to implement and is a black box to use. Google was stuck with SMS because of their inability to implement a cohesive messaging app, despite owning and distributing an operating system. So what did they do? Pitched sob stories and got the europeans to threaten to r…

Google absolutely had a cohesive messaging app (Google Chat, later called Hangouts), they just threw it away and tried to rebuild it several times and under various other names and paradigms rather than iterating on it. If they'd simply added a "WhatsApp/iMessage mode" to Google Chat in 2015 (i.e. allow Google account based users to seamlessly communicate with phone number based users), I think we might be seeing a v…

Google Chat was great back in its day (standard XMPP) and had a somewhat "loyal" and large user base. Rebranding it into Hangouts, rebuilding it, and generally sabotaging themselves was, well, their own doing.

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#103

Post by microtonal »

mnd999 wrote: post #45
swozey wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you turn it off? What if you hire a contractor for some work and they need to send you pictures/video from an Android? Or a realtor, mechanic, craigslist seller, or just someone you don't have/want a personal relationship with. You're not adding these people to WhatsApp/Telegram.. I have probably hundreds more phone contacts than people I have on whatsapp.

All the carriers in the UK use Googles service. Perhaps you don’t want to send all your messages via the worlds biggest advertising company.

Google's service uses end to end encryption. Of course, Apple can choose not to implement it (seems that they'll only implement it if it's standardized).

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#104

Post by lxgr »

apienx wrote: post #35

Google ran a clever “Time for SMS to exit the chat” campaign some time ago. Might have helped precipitate this decision. https://youtu.be/N_B0riy__rw?si=C-gDkNbmb3MFyWao Telcos live in the Stone Age. A little disruption is well overdue.

Telcos should be utilities. They supply the pipes that deliver services and applications.

RCS is unfortunately a step backwards from that idea.

And regarding Google's motivations for that campaign: They have acquired a company offering RCS services to telcos and marketers... https://jibe.google.com/

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#105

Post by code_duck »

crazygringo wrote: post #60

What a surprise! I'm quite sure RCS bubbles will be green though, and that's still going to be enough of a difference when it comes to teen groups and even adult dating. The EU may mandate interoperability, but I don't see them mandating bubble color...

I’ve had a couple girlfriends in their 40s mildly judge me negatively for having an Android phone, but someone who would take that seriously enough for it to affect their relationship decisions is someone I’d rather not be involved with. Maybe it would be better to text people with a “beater” Android phone as a test for how shallow they may be, like the semi-cliche of a financially well-off person driving an old truck to a first date vs their fancy car.

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#106

Post by freedomben »

swozey wrote: post #23
baz00 wrote: post #3

Hopefully I can turn it off. I do not know anyone who uses RCS who didn't end up on WhatsApp or Telegram pretty quickly afterwards.

Why would you turn it off? What if you hire a contractor for some work and they need to send you pictures/video from an Android? Or a realtor, mechanic, craigslist seller, or just someone you don't have/want a personal relationship with. You're not adding these people to WhatsApp/Telegram.. I have probably hundreds more phone contacts than people I have on whatsapp.

As an Android user I've asked a very similar question before to my iPhone friends, and most of them are just apathetic and don't care either way, but some of them will actually say some variation of: "if somebody is on Android, I don't want to talk to them anyway. It's a useful filter." The first time I heard that it was a little shocking, but especially with Gen Z, it's a minority but not unusual opinion.

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#107

Post by throw0101a »

ryandvm wrote: post #15
dmonitor wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't mind Apple adopting RCS the same way that SMS is implemented. I like that iMessage can add features at whatever pace Apple wants. RCS will at least fix the annoying group message problems that Android/iOS have.

Agreed. I don't mind them having their messaging platform. I don't mind it being technically superior to RCS. I DO have an issue with them intentionally doing a shit job of integrating with a telecommunications standard and then slapping a green bubble on it to get their oblivious users to ostracize people's kids.

> I DO have an issue with them intentionally doing a shit job of integrating with a telecommunications standard and then slapping a green bubble on it to get their oblivious users to ostracize people's kids.

The green bubble is there because in the past, when telcos charged money for individual SMS messages, green meant money. I.e., greenbacks, US dollars.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenback

* https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/263943/meaning-o...

Blue meant no charge for the message, since it went over the data plan and through Apple's servers.

The tribal/clan split of iPhone/no-iPhone came later.

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#108

Post by lxgr »

faet wrote: post #49
signal11 wrote: post #44

What’s the story around e2e encryption on RCS these days? In the past there were a few countries that didn’t allow it, no idea if that has changed. Also, will iMessage support for RCS include e2ee?

Apple will be pushing for RCS/Carriers to adopt e2e, but it'll probably just flag green/notify users that messages are not encrypted.

Anything that needs the participation of every carrier on the planet is doomed from the get-go.

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#109

Post by code_duck »

Almondsetat wrote: post #27

Imagine being an exec at Nothing and seeing your acquisition turn into dust Edit: it was not an acquisition but a partnership

There is almost no chance Apple would tolerate an unofficial iMessage client for long, anyway.

Re: Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

#110

Post by collegeburner »

system16 wrote: post #38

> This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users," said an Apple spokesperson. I could be wrong but I don’t see anything here to suggest non-iMessages will no longer have the “green bubble” like the author assumes.

it will remain green, which means the signaling effect will also remain. the funny thing is everyone claims it's down to quality but guessing it won't matter, plus no 8ball/facetime will still push people towards iphones.

especially w young ppl, where i think like 90% have iphones. if i had a nickel for every time a gal mentioned green bubbles give her the ick, i wouldn't be rich but could probably buy a solid steak dinner off it.

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