For years, the iPhone’s two-tiered texting system has been a scorching matter. iPhone-to-iPhone texts within the Messages app are blue, and luxuriate in full encryption and extra sturdy media options, like animations. However messages to and from Android gadgets are merely commonplace SMS texts, and marked with a inexperienced tint. Apple’s segregated messaging platform has been the topic of a , and even sparked chatter of regulatory intervention. However with Apple’s latest affirmation that it’s going to start supporting the newer RCS texting commonplace in iOS 18, is the iPhone messaging enjoying area about to be leveled? Or are we simply exchanging one acronym for an additional?
Confused? Don’t fear. We’re about to put out what may change with Apple’s adoption of the GSMA’s next-generation messaging protocol.
What’s SMS?
Quick Message Service (SMS) is without doubt one of the most ubiquitous messaging protocols on the planet. It dates again to the early days of cell know-how. In December 1992, Neil Papworth, on the time an engineer at Vodafone, sent the first SMS text message when he wished his boss “Merry Christmas.” By the beginning of 2011, roughly 80 p.c of all cell phone customers globally — an estimated 3.5 billion individuals — had been sending SMS messages each month.
At this time, nevertheless, the usual has some notable drawbacks. SMS messages are restricted to 160 characters, and texts you ship can’t embrace images, movies, audio or GIFs. For that, cell telephones have lengthy turned to a supporting protocol often called Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), but it surely too has its share of technical limitations, together with woefully small message measurement limits. SMS additionally doesn’t assist end-to-end encryption.
However for all of the methods SMS feels dated in an period dominated by on the spot messaging platforms, it has one defining benefit: SMS messages are routed by way of your provider’s cell community, that means a knowledge plan isn’t obligatory to make use of the know-how. That reality has meant SMS has typically served as a fallback for extra superior protocols, together with Apple’s iMessage.
What’s RCS?
RCS is brief for Wealthy Communication Companies, although generally it is usually marketed as “Superior Messaging.” Both manner, it’s typically positioned as a next-generation alternative for SMS and MMS. RCS permits customers to reap the benefits of many options that had been beforehand unique to over-the-top messaging platforms like WhatsApp.
As an example, the RCS Common Profile contains full assist for learn receipts and typing indicators. It could actually additionally facilitate correct group chats, and permit customers to ship high-resolution photos, video and audio clips. As of earlier this 12 months, Google’s implementation of RCS additionally gives by default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for each one-on-one and group chats.
In contrast to SMS texts, RCS messages are routed over a cell knowledge connection or Wi-Fi hyperlink, with SMS functioning as a fallback. For that cause, the older protocol probably isn’t going wherever anytime quickly.
One factor that’s necessary to recollect about RCS is that it isn’t and has by no means been envisioned as a alternative or competitor to on the spot messaging apps. At its coronary heart, RCS is a communication protocol between cell phone carriers and between a cellphone and provider. Profiting from RCS doesn’t require signing up for a brand new service. So long as your cellphone and provider assist RCS, and also you’re utilizing a suitable app corresponding to Messages by Google, you may reap the benefits of the whole lot the protocol has to supply — supplied, in fact, the individual or individuals you’re messaging meet those self same necessities.
How does iMessage match into all this?
Apple introduced iMessage in June 2011, a couple of brief months earlier than Steve Jobs died later that very same 12 months. In contrast to RCS, iMessage is a proprietary messaging protocol managed completely by Apple and out there (barring some occasional, unofficial workarounds) solely on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac gadgets. Beginning in 2024 with the iOS 18 update, Apple plans to combine assist for RCS in its Messages app. As of writing this text, the 2 protocols don’t talk with each other. As such, Apple’s Messages app will default to SMS/MMS when customers try and ship texts and media information to somebody with an Android cellphone.
From the angle of an iMessage consumer, it could possibly really feel like Android customers are caught in a bygone messaging period — despite the fact that the latter just isn’t at fault for the scenario. As a consequence of iMessage’s reliance on SMS/MMS for Android communication, media information find yourself pixelated, there aren’t any learn receipts or typing indicators and neglect about making an attempt to contain a number of iPhone and Android customers in a single group chat.
How did we get right here?
Though work on RCS started earlier than Apple introduced iMessage, the protocol had one main drawback that doomed it to a gradual rollout. RCS is a multi-stakeholder challenge that features the involvement of the GSMA, a commerce physique that represents the pursuits of the cell communications business at giant. In 2015, Google took a extra lively position within the proliferation of RCS when it acquired Jibe Mobile. With Jibe’s know-how as a base, it’s successfully Google that gives the glue that binds the RCS ecosystem collectively, however for a very long time, the corporate did a poor job of aligning everybody concerned in RCS towards a shared aim.
In actual fact, the early days of RCS had been marked by false begins, with some carriers, together with a gaggle made up of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon forming a short-lived joint venture to push the protocol ahead earlier than finally aligning themselves with Google. Even Samsung did its personal factor for some time earlier than it too finally agreed to make Messages by Google the default messaging app it ships on telephones within the US.
For that cause, Apple has had little cause to undertake RCS. In spite of everything, why would it not give a bumbling competitor a freebie? And as just lately as 2022, it appeared there was little to no likelihood the scenario was going to vary anytime quickly. “I do not hear our customers asking that we put a number of vitality into that,” Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner informed the Code Convention that 12 months when he was requested about RCS messaging. “Buy your mom an iPhone” was his last phrase on the matter.
But it surely was additionally final 12 months that the European Union handed its landmark Digital Markets and Services Act (DMA). The laws requires “gatekeepers” to not favor their very own methods or restrict third events from interoperating inside them. Gatekeepers are any firm that meets particular monetary and utilization {qualifications}. Apple, in accordance with the regulation, is one such firm.
In the end, the EU dominated in 2024 that (although European regulators had loads of different directives for different features of Apple’s empire). Regardless of being in compliance, nevertheless, Apple had . Per famous Apple pundit John Gruber, Apple’s larger motivation might have been to . However regardless of the cause, it seems to be a achieved deal: Apple reaffirmed RCS assist is coming to the iPhone as a part of iOS 18.
Does Apple’s assist of RCS imply the top of inexperienced textual content bubbles on iPhone?
Alas, inexperienced bubbles are likely here to stay. The corporate famous in its authentic touch upon RCS that iMessage “will proceed to be the perfect and most safe messaging expertise for Apple customers.” That stated, even when you take that assertion to imply iMessage will proceed to show texts from non-Apple gadgets otherwise from these despatched from an iPhone, iPad or Mac, Apple’s adoption of RCS ought to result in a greater consumer expertise for each iOS and Android customers.
Once more, Apple wants to offer specifics, but it surely’s simple to check a future the place its Messages app, because of RCS, correctly shows high-resolution photos and movies despatched from Android telephones, and permits each iOS and Android customers to participate in group chats with out one thing breaking. Apple additionally stated in its authentic November 2023 announcement it might work with GSMA members to enhance the prevailing Common Profile protocol, with a concentrate on including end-to-end encryption to the usual.
After all, whether or not that interoperability ends the stigma round inexperienced bubbles is tougher to reply.
Editors’ word: This story was initially printed in November 2023 and has been up to date to mirror new data.
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