Wait, so it’s Apple in fact support RCS for iOS? Did hell freeze over? Do pigs fly?
Calling it a “surprising move,” 9to5Mac says that Apple has announced that it will indeed add support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) to offer better interoperability between iPhones and Android devices.
Why did Apple change its mind?
Companies like Google and Samsung run campaigns prayerful with the Cupertino-based tech giant to adopt RCS, an industry standard for messaging that over 500 Android devices and most carriers accept — except for Apple, of course.
Poor interoperability between Android phones and iDevices forced us to endure broken group chats, grainy videos, low-quality media, lack of encryption, and other undesirables.
“Sending text messages between iPhones and Android phones feels like using technology from another era, because it is—Apple refuses to adopt modern text messaging standards.” But it’s 2023, and texting shouldn’t feel like using a pager,” Google said during its #GetTheMessage campaign.
Apple has been silent as Google and Samsung team up to ‘RCS shame’ the Cupertino-based tech giant – until now. According to 9to5Mac, Apple backed out due to “regulatory pressure.” In addition, RCS continues to progress and evolve, making it more attractive than ever.
What does this mean for green bubbles?
Once Apple officially supports RCS for iOS, cross-platform messaging will now include high-quality images and videos, read receipts, input indicators, and more. Additionally, Apple told 9to5Mac that users will finally be able to share their location with others inside text threads.
But the question is, since green bubbles are the “red letter” for Android users in a pro-iPhone world, will Apple find a way to dispel the old “green vs. blue bubbles” divide? We don’t know; Apple has not addressed this issue. However, many tech experts suspect that Apple will keep the division alive.
For example, Marques Brownlee, a popular tech YouTuber with nearly 18 million subscribers, says Apple’s adoption doesn’t necessarily mean green bubbles will die.
Tweet may have been deleted
“They can still absolutely treat RCS messages differently than iMessage…BUT it helps with encryption and larger file size support between Android and iPhone,” Brownlee said.
Apple told 9to5Mac that RCS support for iOS will arrive some time in 2024.
