this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2023
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It's not the android side that's failing, it's Apples refusal to implement anything other than SMS for cross ecosystem compatibility.
It's also why third party messaging apps like Whatsapp are thriving, much to the consternation of every person on the network. I used to be able to pick up the phone and call or message anyone. Now I need to check compatibility first. Wtf apple.
@Mountaineer @gregorum Apple is going to implement RCS, the EU put pressure on them.
However I am surprised that Beeper was able to do this in software. With everyone else using an Apple device as a proxy, I figured the protocol required a magic handshake from the TPM chip in an Apple device. That would be easy to do.
There's some gotchas in Apples statement:
They have promised to implement "RCS Universal Profile"
This means the bare minimum, not the advanced features implemented by Google and Samsung etc.
An example of a missing feature from Universal Profile is end to end encryption.
They also said: "This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users."
The implication of this is that it won't be in the iMessage app, it will be in a separate but official app, siloing your Android friends from your iPhone friends.
When this comes out, every European is going to shrug and keep using Whatsapp.
@Mountaineer Encryption needs to be added to the standard, and then Apple will be expected to implement it. Hopefully the EU knocks some heads together and makes this happen.
WhatsApp is owned by Facebook and has ads, which is two good reasons not to use it. Europeans are just as "stuck with a bad standard" as Americans are here.
I use RCS quite a bit and like it. Although nothing on a phone should be regarded as truly secure.
Lol wut
SMS and iMessage both work via the same Messages app. All they’ll do is add RCS functionality to the Messages app, and iPhone users will continue using the same app they’ve always used.
RCS is too liitle, too late. It sucks. People have issues with it today... It's less reliable than SMS, and it's E2EE is problematic.
Fortunately much of the world has moved away from SMS already, so those folks aren't coming back. I try real hard to get people away from it.
@BearOfaTime I have RCS and use it. It works fine. I have not noticed significant reliability problems, using Google's servers. If there are problems it's likely the carrier's garbage implementation.
There is no standard here in the USA except SMS.
It works fine, for you. When it works is irrelevant. When it doesn't is what matters.
Go to reddit look for RCS problem posts. It's terrible.
Even worse, I can send high quality images and video from android to iPhone if they're both on Verizon. When the iPhone sends it back, it's trashed.
That said, SMS/MMS suck. SMS has a known, published loss of messages at about 12%. What the hell?