Google SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer asked Apple to accept RCS, the next-generation texting standard that is expected to replace SMS, in a tweet earlier today. He extended a “open invitation to anybody who can make this right” and stated that “we are here to help.” The “folks” are Apple, and “we are here to help” is Google’s offer to help Apple apply the new standard.
RCS is finally starting to gain traction around the world. Its biggest champion has been Google, which finally landed on using it as the default texting solution for Android phones after trying every other solution. RCS is far from perfect, but it’s clearly superior to SMS (which is, of course, a low bar). After securing deals from US carriers to commit to the standard in the next year, Google is setting its sights on a new target for evangelism: Apple.
Apple has yet to reply with a comment to any inquiry from The Verge over several years on whether it intends to support RCS on the iPhone, and declined to comment on this story. It seems unlikely that RCS is coming to iOS anytime soon.
Group discussions do not have to break in this manner. There is a Very Simple Solution. We’d like to extend an open welcome to those who can make this right: we’re here to help. https://t.co/4P6xfsQyT0 October 7, 2021 — Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer)
Lockheimer’s post was part of a witty series of tweets that began with a tale about pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau breaking iMessage group chats with his green bubbles, which led to the official Android account cringingly drawing a comparison between green bubbles and the legendary Master’s green jacket. Lockheimer makes a joke about there being a “Really Clear Solution” (RCS) to group conversations not breaking.
RCS has had a long, winding (and unfinished) road to becoming Android’s default texting experience. Beginning in March 2021, Google began negotiating agreements with US carriers to commit to adopting Google’s Android Messages app as the default on all Android phones sold on their networks. It began with a massive contract with T-Mobile, followed by lesser arrangements with AT&T and Verizon. Once all of those agreements are in place, Android users who text will transition to RCS, which enables typing indications, improved group chats, and larger multimedia messages.
ImpRCS on Android Messages also offers end-to-end encryption for one-on-one talks, which is important. This means that when Android users communicate with each other, they will have more privacy and security than when iPhone users text each other – and vice versa. A recent hack on SMS startup Syniverse is only the most recent illustration of why encryption is critical in messaging — especially as the default.
RCS, on the other hand, has its own issues. Messages can be lost in limbo when transferring phones, just like in iMessage. It is also a standard championed by Google but theoretically agreed upon by carriers worldwide. Many people see RCS as tainted because of its affiliation with Google, and expecting carriers to agree on anything is a formula for disaster. As Ron Amadeo discusses here, there are also technical constraints.
Nevertheless, it seems inevitable that RCS will replace SMS eventually — but only if Apple decides to support it. As more carriers adopt it and as more users realize that SMS is inherently less secure, Apple could begin to feel enough pressure to adopt RCS. Thus far, however, it hasn’t shown any signs of that.
