Google and Apple have been at odds before. But one of the most recent battlegrounds involves SMS successor RCS. The Pixel maker is all-in when it comes to the “new standard” and has been trying to persuade the Cupertino company to do the same for months. But as it turns out, Google is throwing a fit.
The battle has been going on for several months. Last August, for example, Google launched a website where anyone could see how Android and iOS can work better with each other thanks to the “new standard. RCS, an acronym that stands for Rich Communication Services. It should solve some problems.
Will Apple tack?
Looking at the solutions offered by RCS, Apple sometimes seems a bit crazy not to get involved. RCS solves broken group chats, offers end-to-end encryption and typing indicators, and gives users access to high-quality media. So far, Apple should have none of it.
iMessage in iCloud Messages app (Image: OneMoreThing)
It is not clear why Apple is not going with it or whether the company already knew about the following: In fact, Google is currently cutting corners when it comes to developing RCS. So confirms Jan Jedrzejowicz, head of the Product Department. So the RCS specification is far from set in stone.
A lot can still change
“A lot can still change in the underlying protocol, Jedrzejowicz said. “It’s a matter of maturing.” Unfortunately for RCS, message encryption is not turned on by default. That encryption can be added by providers and companies whenever they want. Even Google offers such security only for one-to-one conversations.
This fact alone ensures that RCS is not actually a “new standard” at the moment, but only an alternative. A number of providers and companies have already made the switch, but even Google now admits that there is still a lot of work to be done. It also remains to be seen how long Google itself will support the alternative – the company is known to constantly kill apps and services. So it is not understandable that Apple is waiting to see what happens.
