Samsung has joined Google’s campaign to force Apple to make iMessage RCS-compatible—but European regulators are more likely to get that job done.

Pressure grows on Apple to open up iMessage::Samsung has joined Google’s campaign to force Apple to make iMessage RCS-compatible—but European regulators are more likely to get that job done.

  • fartsparkles@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1524·
    1 year ago

    This is weirdly only a thing in America. In Europe, where I live, iMessage isn’t that popular and iPhone users never seem to care about the bubble colour (likely because WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Element, and Threema are so popular, everyone is used to using multiple chat apps anyway).

    Edit: Also I’m not sure why everyone is championing RCS - it’s yet another proprietary communication standard like iMessage and isn’t open thus can’t be easily implemented in other chat apps.

    Rather then pressure Apple to support and further popularise another closed protocol, we should be pushing for something open like Matrix or Signal.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2111·
      1 year ago

      I have never heard of anyone in the U.S. who cares about the bubble color either. The only reason I ever cared was that it used to mean there was a good chance it wouldn’t get through if it was a green bubble, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. I’ve gotten iPhone-to-iPhone green bubbles when there’s been some sort of communication difficulty to Apple’s servers and it had to go straight SMS.

      • eric@lemmy.worldEnglish
        281·
        1 year ago

        Are you dating or in school at the moment? I if not, it might be that you’re just oblivious to this trend, because it is definitely a thing in many social circles.

        • fignooton@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          1 year ago

          Seeems mostly a US centric thing though. I’ve never experienced this, 99% of people here with smartphones have whatsapp/telegram and use that almost exclusively, even iphone users.

          • eric@lemmy.worldEnglish
            21·
            1 year ago

            No one said it wasn’t, but US is the largest and most affluent market and therefore the only one that matters. /s

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
          39·
          1 year ago

          Maybe for people much younger than me. But certainly I’ve never heard of such a thing in the many years I’ve had iPhones (started with the 3).

          • eric@lemmy.worldEnglish
            81·
            1 year ago

            It’s not simply an age thing. I’m in my 40s and have definitely witnessed the judgment in the dating scene.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
              51·
              1 year ago

              Ok, fair, I’ve been married for over two decades. I don’t get why anyone would care though.

              • eric@lemmy.worldEnglish
                41·
                1 year ago

                It’s not that difficult to understand. An iPhone is a symbol of affluence, and that aspect is important to many people who are looking for a mate.

                Edited to add: And as dating has shifted to being mostly online, the first real connection you have with a potential mate outside of the apps is via text.

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  14·
                  1 year ago

                  Yeah, but there are Android phones which are unquestionably also a symbol of affluence, like foldables.

                  • eric@lemmy.worldEnglish
                    71·
                    1 year ago

                    Don’t bring reason and logic into this. It’s not logical. It’s a wide-sweeping generality, but it is reality nonetheless.

      • Zak@lemmy.worldEnglish
        81·
        1 year ago

        I haven’t encountered any adults who actually care about that in one-on-one conversations. I have however been excluded from group chats because mixing iMessage and SMS users resulted in a degraded experience. The iPhone users were, of course unwilling to consider installing any other chat app.

        I find the last bit pretty annoying. It takes about 45 seconds to download Signal and confirm your number.

        • paintbucketholder@lemmy.worldEnglish
          131·
          1 year ago

          I just had that conversation with a group of adults who all had iPhones and were unwilling to add non-iPhone people to a group or change messaging apps.

          The reasons given were:

          • My iPhone is too old, I can’t install another messaging app.
          • I’m not going to install another app where I have to remember another password.
          • Messages don’t go through when we add a non-iPhone user to the group.

          The conclusion by the group was “just buy an iPhone!”

          And that’s a group of adults. I can’t imagine the bullying and peer pressure teenagers have to face over something as idiotic as messaging apps.

          • Zak@lemmy.worldEnglish
            4·
            1 year ago

            Meanwhile, I have six messaging apps on my phone (which is neither new nor high-end) and would be willing to install most others (not Facebook chat or Instagram) if it made communication easier for someone.

    • akafester@lemmy.worldEnglish
      72·
      1 year ago

      I have to say that in Denmark at least, iMessage seems to thrive quite well. There are quite a lot using Facebook messenger, but SMS and iMessage is a close second. This is entirely from my point of view. Never met anyone using the examples you mention, unless they are communicating with foreigners on a daily basis.

    • HughJanus@lemmy.mlEnglish
      41·
      1 year ago

      Also I’m not sure why everyone is championing RCS - it’s yet another proprietary communication standard like iMessage and isn’t open thus can’t be easily implemented in other chat apps.

      My guy, this entire article is about Google and Samsung trying to convince Apple to adopt RCS.

      Is a completely open standard better? Yeah, absolutely.

      Would RCS basically create unified rich communication for virtually everyone? Also yes.

      • mr_tyler_durden@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        RCS isn’t open at all in practice and anyone who wants to put the carriers (or more likely Google) in control of messaging is a moron.

        • HughJanus@lemmy.mlEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          Nobody wants to do that, except that the alternative is SMS, which is much much worse.