Summary
- Google is taking shots at Apple in its marketing efforts, highlighting iPhone shortcomings in RCS implementation.
- RCS messaging is the new industry standard, offering features for a better texting experience similar to iMessage.
- Apple is slow to adopt RCS to keep users within the Apple ecosystem, but is set to adopt it in fall 2024.
There’s nothing more entertaining than some good old pettiness between two tech conglomerates that have a higher combined market capitalization than just two countries’ GDPs, but that’s what we have here. Apple and Alphabet (Google) have very little love for each other, and nowhere is that more felt than when both companies take shots at each other in their marketing efforts. Recently, Google has turned up the wick when it comes to fighting Apple’s market share, leading to the “Best Phones Forever” campaign that has poked fun at the iPhone 15’s USB-C implementation and the lack of Apple RCS support. That brings us to the latest Google-Apple spiciness, as Android’s new Google Messages landing page brags that RCS is coming to iPhones this fall.
What iPhone getting RCS means for Android
We’ll still be in green bubbles, but our pictures shouldn’t be blurry anymore
Android’s website debuted a new Google Messages landing page that shows off all the features that the messaging app provides to users, such as artificial intelligence integration, personal stylization, and security features (via 9to5Google). One specific card showcases RCS-specific features, such as high-resolution photos and videos. Upon clicking on “See more features” and scrolling down to the bottom, a juicy quote shows itself. It says, “Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024. Once that happens, it will mean a better messaging experience for everyone.”
RCS is becoming the new industry standard
If your popcorn wasn’t already salted and buttered up after the Android website called on Apple to “fix texting,” then there’s no better opportunity to walk to your kitchen. Since texting became mainstream, the short message service (SMS) and multimedia messaging service (MMS) have been industry standards, but without any end-to-end encryption and the lack of any real features, it’s been surpassed by a relatively new standard in rich communication services (RCS) messaging. RCS messaging enables features that will make texting feel more like using instant messaging services or iMessage between two iPhones.
Apple has been slow to adopt RCS messaging because it wants to keep people reliant on the Apple ecosystem and iMessage, forcing any texts between Apple and Android devices to be sent using the older MMS and SMS methods. In November 2023, Apple confirmed it would adopt RCS in 2024, but you shouldn’t thank Google for persuading Apple. Thank the European Commission. Texting someone across the Android and iPhone picket line will still be annoying until later this year, but Google’s RCS-gloating at Apple’s expense is still wildly entertaining.
