After years of reluctance, company announces iPhones will support RCS messaging standard

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › After years of reluctance, company announces iPhones will support RCS messaging standard

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#3160847 18-Nov-2023 14:34

farcus:

the frustrating thing about RCS is that so many android users don't even use it because they have purchased a phone that has a modified version of android with that company's own messaging app as default.

I'm an Android user and I sometimes get nagged by Google to turn RCS on when I'm trying to send or receive an SMS / txt message.
I always say "NO!"

Why would I want to use RCS?
If I want to send a "rich" content message, I use Signal*, or sometimes email.
When I just want to send a basic text message, I use SMS.
When my doctor wants to remind me about an appointment, they use SMS; when my financial services providers want me to authorise a transaction, they all use SMS; and so on. Absolutely none of these interactions would be improved by making them "rich".

Also, I suspect that RCS would use my "data" allowance rather than the unlimited SMS messages included in my monthly account fee.

So, I ask again: Why would anyone want to use RCS?

* I used to use WhatsApp, but when that got integrated into the Metaverse, I stopped, and persuaded all my family & close friends to do the same

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farcus

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#3160852 18-Nov-2023 14:51

PolicyGuy:

farcus:

the frustrating thing about RCS is that so many android users don't even use it because they have purchased a phone that has a modified version of android with that company's own messaging app as default.

I'm an Android user and I sometimes get nagged by Google to turn RCS on when I'm trying to send or receive an SMS / txt message.
I always say "NO!"

Why would I want to use RCS?
If I want to send a "rich" content message, I use Signal*, or sometimes email.
When I just want to send a basic text message, I use SMS.
When my doctor wants to remind me about an appointment, they use SMS; when my financial services providers want me to authorise a transaction, they all use SMS; and so on. Absolutely none of these interactions would be improved by making them "rich".

Also, I suspect that RCS would use my "data" allowance rather than the unlimited SMS messages included in my monthly account fee.

So, I ask again: Why would anyone want to use RCS?

* I used to use WhatsApp, but when that got integrated into the Metaverse, I stopped, and persuaded all my family & close friends to do the same

perhaps because most people don't use signal.
only one app required that can be used to send rich content.
Simplicity
don't have to sign up for another account somewhere else.
Don't have to have multiple apps for different people on different apps
Can send / receive over wifi
While I use email for a lot of communication - lots of people I know do not.

jarledb

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#3160854 18-Nov-2023 15:12

robjg63:
Apple only started using the USB-C port because the EU forced them to.

You realise they started using USB-C in iPads long before the EU mandate? And were early to add them to MacBooks.

And given how they have added more than just charging via USB-C, they have actually implemented it pretty well. So feels like more than just begrudgingly following an EU mandate to me.

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#3160855 18-Nov-2023 15:13

farcus:

perhaps because most people don't use signal.
only one app required that can be used to send rich content.
Simplicity
don't have to sign up for another account somewhere else.
Don't have to have multiple apps for different people on different apps
Can send / receive over wifi
While I use email for a lot of communication - lots of people I know do not.

Zero Google apps on my devices
Zero Facebook Apps on my devices
Zero Amazon Apps on my devices

I have Messages/SMS and email on my IOS devices and computers.

I am betting that as soon as RCS gets E2EE and Google can not data mine it, they will deprecate it just like they have so many other things that have ended in the google graveyard.

MaxineN

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#3160857 18-Nov-2023 15:28

SaltyNZ:

And I put it in my FY25 budget request two days before the announcement. I SEE THE FUTURE.

So when will you be switching to an Android :~)

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Opinions are my own. They don't represent my employer.

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#3160945 18-Nov-2023 18:25

MaxineN:

So when will you be switching to an Android :~)

Unfortunately it's against my religion to run an OS written by an ad company. :-(

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These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

RogerMellie

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#3160959 18-Nov-2023 18:52

"Apple only started using the USB-C port because the EU forced them to."

Or.....with some of their iPads already using USB-C a few years before the 'enforced' move in Europe, and it being announced in 2012 that the Lightning connector would be Apple's connector "for the next decade", it could also be likely proven that Apple was already transitioning to USB-C well before Margrethe Vestager took an interest.

Behodar

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#3160965 18-Nov-2023 19:15

Do all of the NZ providers offer RCS? It's not something I've seen in the marketing (although I haven't been looking for it).

SaltyNZ

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#3160967 18-Nov-2023 19:51

Behodar:

Do all of the NZ providers offer RCS? It's not something I've seen in the marketing (although I haven't been looking for it).

No, none yet. Then-Vodafone trialed RCSe (cut down version of it) about 10+ years ago. But between iPhones not supporting it and no customers willing to pay for it (after all, WhatsApp is free!) there's no business case for it. That might change now with the Apple announcement, but it's still a $3M+ investment with no payback.

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Linux

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#3160969 18-Nov-2023 19:55

@SaltyNZ Oh the memories ' Joyn '

Behodar

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#3160971 18-Nov-2023 19:58

That's exactly what I thought, but I figured I'd be positive in my other post! :)

farcus

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#3160972 18-Nov-2023 20:12

sir1963:

I am betting that as soon as RCS gets E2EE and Google can not data mine it, they will deprecate it just like they have so many other things that have ended in the google graveyard.

It already is E2EE

Behodar

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#3160973 18-Nov-2023 20:17

I believe 1963 is talking about RCS, not "Google RCS".

farcus

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#3160981 18-Nov-2023 20:22

jarledb: . . .So feels like more than just begrudgingly following an EU mandate to me.

Depends how you look at it . . . because if the EU hadn't made them do it, there was no indication that they were going to do it.

richms

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#3160995 18-Nov-2023 21:55

alasta:

There is already a messaging platform that works across any brand of device and has vastly superior workflow management to what you'll find on any instant messaging product. It's called email.

Its also not tied to an identifier that you only get when buying mobile data services in a certain country, works across any device you log in with, has a server side history that you can search completely on any device that has access to it and the domain is portable to any provider anywhere in the world without much hassle.

I really don't get why these phone number based messaging apps are so popular.

Richard rich.ms

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