Apple announced RCS with a whimper when it should have been a bang

Jun 15, 2024 08:00 PM - 4 months ago 60850

Apple will yet adopt RCS successful iOS 18, efficaciously ending a yearslong conflict for characteristic parity betwixt iMessage and Android. But nan announcement wasn’t a ceremony — you could’ve blinked and missed it. Instead of showing really RCS will make things better, Apple softly announced support for nan modular and focused connected each nan awesome features coming to iMessage users — not RCS ones.

Apple didn’t spell complete really RCS take will yet fto iPhone and Android users nonstop each different high-resolution pictures and videos. It didn’t moreover opportunity really RCS will alteration support for cross-platform publication receipts and typing indicators. Apple only highlighted the flashy features coming to iMessage, including ways to bold and italicize text, improvements to Tapbacks, and nan expertise to schedule a text.

These are each awesome changes, but iPhone users won’t beryllium capable to usage these features erstwhile chatting pinch personification connected Android. And we don’t moreover cognize how nan emoji created pinch Genmoji, Apple’s caller AI emoji creation tool, will look successful texts sent to users connected Android, either.

Android users are still stuck successful greenish bubbles.

Image: Apple

The institution buried RCS connected its iOS 18 preview page, too. It doesn’t moreover mention to Android users by name: “RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages bring richer media and transportation and publication receipts for those who don’t usage iMessage.” The included image shows an RCS chat connected nan iPhone, which has nan greenish bubbles indicating nan personification you’re texting isn’t connected an iPhone.

Apple first confirmed RCS support was coming past year. “This will activity alongside iMessage, which will proceed to beryllium nan champion and astir unafraid messaging acquisition for Apple users,” Apple spokesperson Jacqueline Roy said successful a connection to The Verge astatine nan time. But it wasn’t needfully a magnanimous move. Apple was mostly forced to support RCS successful consequence to nan mounting unit from global regulators and competing companies. That whitethorn thief explicate nan somewhat disgruntled attack to announcing its rollout successful iOS 18.

But Apple’s take of RCS has been years successful nan making. Every awesome bearer already made nan move to RCS. Apple was nan only holdout, and regulators, mixed pinch immoderate bad property (remember erstwhile Tim Cook told a feline to buy his mom an iPhone?), made it progressively basal for nan institution to reside nan issue.”

Can you spot Apple’s mention of RCS?

Image: Apple

The truth that Apple skipped complete RCS during its keynote makes it look for illustration Apple didn’t deliberation it was worthy capable of showing disconnected — which is goofy. The full organization of Android users, including myself, has been stuck getting photos and videos from iPhone users that you request a magnifying solid to make retired (while besides trying to person them to download a third-party messenger that really supports high-res media). 

This is simply a monolithic betterment for some Android and iPhone users! It’s conscionable excessively bad that nan long-awaited unification of nan iPhone and Android’s messaging systems was drowned retired by unsettling AI-generated emoji and jiggling iMessage bubbles. Even without Apple’s acknowledgment, I’m conscionable stoked that I’ll yet beryllium capable to speech photos and videos from nan 21st period pinch my iPhone-wielding friends and family members for once.

More