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.

  • skymtf@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 year ago

    My issue with RCS is its only open to other device makers, like you can’t make RCS apps cause you need a special license. Its a closed system that on android will likely always depend on google

    • dustyData@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The idea of making Apple use it is also part of Google giving the operations to carriers, just like SMS, and then gradually replacing SMS altogether. Google isn’t even supposed to be running the RCS servers. But they did it in order to get the standard up and running everywhere. It’s an open standard, and multiple carriers in several countries are on their way to carrying the burden of the servers, the way the standard is supposed to operate. Once it’s operating, all servers can talk to each other, just like you can SMS a person on another carrier line. RCS will allow universal rich texting.

      Surely XMPP and other standards are different and I would prefer any other than something championed by Google. But the truth is, that the other standards aren’t invited to sit at the right tables and don’t offer the same “replace SMS once and for all” potential the way RCS does. XMPP for example is super expensive to escalate and like almost all of the traffic is just presence messaging, which is super wasteful and energy intensive on servers. RCS is not the best, but it’s one that all carriers and telecommunications agencies are on board for replacing the archaic SMS. And it doesn’t preclude using other protocols. Like, WhatsApp, Signal, Matrix and Telegram will still continue to exist.

      • stevehobbes@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        It requires provisioning by your mobile carrier. iMessage doesn’t.

        Anyone advocating for something that isn’t OTT has been living under a rock.

        • IamRoot@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          And here is the part that no one seems to understand.

          Apple forced the carriers to allow iMessage because they were in a power position to do so.

          Meanwhile, GSMA has been fucking around since 2008, because no one could agree to anything.

          Management by committee or take control and make it happen.

          RCS and GSMA will not prevail.

          2008 !

        • dustyData@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          So does your data service. You have to pay the carrier to have Internet in the cellular network. Do you think that iMessage work with faeries carrying the messages around?

          Truly the only reason RCS is pushed by the carriers is because of RBM, to monetize business to client communication. But it’s no better nor worse than WhatsApp for businesses.

          • stevehobbes@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            Works over any internet eg wifi. You don’t need to have a subscription to anything at all to use iMessage.

            • dustyData@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              And RCS works when you don’t have internet. What part of everything has pros and cons and it doesn’t make alternatives go away you don’t understand? what’s this need to simp for Apple? I don’t give a fuck about Apple, I just want the modernization of SMS.

              • stevehobbes@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                Or SMS should just die….

                And how does RCS work without internet? It doesn’t work without connectivity to the cellular IMS. RCS only works on 4G and 5G. It doesn’t work on 2G/3G service which in the US is being phased out, but still exists in lots of places.

    • pastabatman@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’m not so sure about the special license thing. The limit on 3rd party apps is because there isn’t an API in Android that exposes RCS to users, only OEMs (which is how Samsung can do it). If Google flipped that switch and made the API public, 3rd party apps would be able to use it just as easily as they do SMS without paying extra or obtaining a license. It’s an open standard.

      Only Google knows why they haven’t done this already.

      • stevehobbes@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Because RCS is provisioned by the telcos and the telcos won’t let them.

        Want end to end encryption, have to use Google Messages, not Samsung Messages, both RCS. How’s that for interop?

        RCS is a mess and not the savior.

    • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Also, encryption is a mixed bag depending upon the client, and you need a phone number. Using iMessage with an email address is quite nice.