Greeetings reader, remember the famous green bubbles vs. blue bubbles war? Well, Apple finally considered giving in. Sort of...
On November 16th, 9to5Mac posted an article saying that Apple is getting RCS. All I can say is, finally it's happening. After years of Google and other Android manufacturers gaslighting Apple for not offering RCS, Apple made a surprising move to adapt RCS (Rich Communication Services) in a later update 'next year ' bringing iMessage-style features between iPhone and Android users.
Just to be clear, Apple isn’t getting rid of iMessage though, as it will continue offering iPhone users the platform. RCS will replace SMS and MMS in most cases, although those two messaging standards will still be available as a backup.
In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said the following:
“Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association. We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.”
This means RCS will bring iMessage-style features such as read receipts, typing indicators and high-quality images and videos to text messages sent between iPhone and Android users. Users can share their location with other contacts in text threads. Just like Apple’s iMessage, RCS messages can be sent over mobile data or Wi-Fi.
What made Apple make this move were a couple of reasons: pressure from Google and Apple with the relentless #GetTheMessage campaign via videos and articles, then the ongoing investigations from the European regulators. Apple has pushed back against this legislation, the Digital Markets Act, arguing that iMessage is not big enough in Europe to qualify as a “gatekeeper service.”
Not long ago, Nothing announced their own version of iMessage in the name of Nothing Chats, which will let owners of the Phone 2 send iMessages to iPhones and is available in North America and Europe from November 17th. (Let's see how that goes because the timing is conspicuous.)
But my rhetorical question stands, what did it take for Apple to finally give in? There have been several attempts to bring iMessage-like alternatives other than Nothing Chats. Definitely, many of us know that there is a catch. For example, not all sorts of iMessage features will be available to Andriod users via RCS. Apple confirmed that RCS messages will still have green bubbles. But at least it will be end-to-end encrypted.
Apple is going through some changes not only for the company's reputation and flow but also for the consumer at large worldwide; not just the US.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge that my first tech article Communication and Classism in Technology was the pioneer in addressing the neverending green bubble vs blue bubble. I am glad there's a shift of things there. But again, I emphasize it is a US kind of problem of how they communicate, because the rest of the world, we thrive on WhatsApp, WeChat and Telegram.