Google and Apple have been at loggerheads for a very long time. Google, as you know, allows RCS messaging in its own messaging app, but Apple still insists. The company has released a new short ad mocking this and making fun of Apple’s ‘innovation’.
Google mocks Apple by emphasizing ‘innovation’
Google is pressuring Apple to adopt Rich Communication Services, or RCS, a messaging standard that would end SMS nonsense and allow Android users to chat with Apple users using modern messaging features.
Last year, Google launched a website urging Apple to “get the message” and adopt RCS, but Apple, which has stuck with iMessage, was not impressed by Google’s relentless taunting. Launching a new attack, Google has now released a video comparing Apple’s messaging standards to the days of pagers.
The video shows a made-up device called iPager, which Google says uses outdated messaging technology similar to what Apple uses when messaging with Android. The company criticizes Apple for its lack of innovation, which it says causes “modern tech nightmares”.
Zero encryption, broken group chats between Apple and Android, pixelated and blurry videos, and the infamous green bubble – Google blames it all on iPhones that don’t support RCS. Google emphasizes that Apple should now say goodbye to SMS.
iMessage is especially popular in the US. iPhone users there prefer to chat exclusively on Apple’s messaging platform, rather than using services like WhatsApp or Telegram, which allow anyone to use modern messaging features like RCS. Android users therefore don’t get the same messaging experience as Apple users.
“If Apple adopts RCS, it will join the rest of the mobile industry committed to elevating the cross-platform messaging experience for everyone,” Google said at the time.
Google’s methods of pointing fingers and shaming Apple for its lack of RCS probably won’t change the company’s mind. What could change Apple’s stance on RCS is Europe’s Digital Markets Act. The legislation would designate certain platforms as “gatekeepers” and force them to open up to competing services and apps.
Apple, however, opposes the inclusion of iMessage as a gatekeeper service. The company has reportedly said that iMessage is not a popular enough platform in Europe to justify this designation.
By the way, if you want to try RCS messaging on iPhones, you can try the Beeper app, which we’ve talked about before. What do you think? Please don’t forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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