Since Apple still does not support RCS – the messaging protocol that succeeds the good old SMS – Google continues to call public opinion to witness. The main promoter of the RCS is putting pressure on the refractory again, which will probably not change much.
Google is relaunching its “Get The Message” advertising campaign launched last year to encourage Apple to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging protocol. The latest version of the campaign includes new content and above all a video which presents a fake gadget called… “iPager”. The latter is a thinly veiled criticism against Apple which, when a message is sent from an iPhone to an Android device, converts the text into classic SMS or MMS.
Apple still not up for RCS
RCS is an advanced messaging technology that offers several enhancements such as read receipts and the ability to share high-resolution photos and videos. Google also manages end-to-end encryption for RCS messages. Apple offers similar features with iMessage, but only for messages exchanged between users of its platforms, between iPhone and Mac for example.
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This is a problem in countries like the United States, where more than half the population uses an iPhone, relegating Android users to the status of “green bubbles” — synonymous with SMS — in discussions. Carriers and phone makers like Samsung have already adopted RCS technology. Apple, on the other hand, remains attached to its own iMessage standard, which generates a lot of frustration at Google! Despite the search engine’s insistence that Apple take charge of RCS, the Apple firm does not seem ready to get started. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said last year that this problem can be simply solved… by buying an iPhone.
Google therefore intensified its campaign by describing the absence of RCS in the iPhone as “ modern email nightmare “. Which is true, in a sense: SMS messages are much less rich and secure than RCS or iMessage messages. They can also cause dysfunctions in group discussions. “Get The Message” campaign encourages people to call out Apple using the hashtag #GetTheMessage on social networks.
The controversy actually mainly concerns the United States. The iPhone’s market share elsewhere in the world is around 20%, and people are more likely to use third-party messaging services like WhatsApp or Telegram rather than the manufacturers’ integrated applications.