Google has been publicly urging Apple to support Rich Communication Services (RCS) for the past year. The push for RCS gained steam this week with Google SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer accusing Apple of using iMessage as a pressure tactic to bully teens into switching to iPhones. Today, Lockheimer sought to clarify that he was “not asking Apple to make iMessage available on Android.” He adds that Google wants Apple to adopt RCS standards.
Lockheimer took to Twitter to list out why the iPhone maker should support RCS. He noted that RCS supports features such as improved group texting, as well as read receipts and typing indicators across all platforms. The Google SVP also highlighted that RCS ensures security by providing “secure 1:1 messages” and hinted that support for group chats will be “coming soon.”
We’re not asking Apple to make iMessage available on Android. We’re asking Apple to support the industry standard for modern messaging (RCS) in iMessage, just as they support the older SMS / MMS standards.
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) January 10, 2022
He stressed that phone number-based texting is “the fallback that we all know will work.”
If you want to reach someone and you don’t know whether they use app x y or z, you have high confidence that sending them a text (SMS) will work. That’s because it’s a standard and supported by essentially all mobile devices. That’s probably why Apple supported SMS to begin with.
The Google exec added that RCS will “improve the experience and privacy for iOS users.” He accused Apple of holding back the tech industry and, in turn, preventing iPhone and Android users from getting the most out of messaging services. Lockheimer concluded the Twitter thread by offering to work with Apple to support RCS.
Do you think Apple will give in and adopt RCS? Or will it keep ignoring Lockheimer since he’s a green bubble guy? Let us know in the comments.
