Android launches #GetTheMessage campaign to convince Apple to support RCS messaging
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- Anonymous
- 70d
- 13 Aug 2022
SShock, 13 Aug 2022You call it ignorance, I call it lack of evidence to suppor... moreSeriously, just look it up. It's not a rumor. It's official. All one-to-one RCS messages use end-to-end encryption. Users who use RCS messages don't need to do anything. It's automatic.
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- SShock
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- 13 Aug 2022
Anonymous, 13 Aug 2022The more you say, the more you show your ignorance. One-to-... moreYou call it ignorance, I call it lack of evidence to support those claims. There is just bunch of claims everywhere how it supported encryption and how it will support E2EE, but I can't find a single official statement that E2EE is enabled by default on ALL communication through RCS. But whatever. Sorry if I don't believe just rumors when data hoarding corporations are involved...
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- Anonymous
- 70d
- 13 Aug 2022
SShock, 13 Aug 2022As far as I know, they aren't encrypted by default. Ho... moreThe more you say, the more you show your ignorance. One-to-one RCS messages use end-to-end encryption. In other words, enabling RCS enables end-to-end encryption for one-to-one messages. When you use end-to-end encryption, you don't have to trust the provider. That's the point. When end-to-end encryption is used, only the sender and receiver can read the messages.
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- Anonymous
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- 13 Aug 2022
I dont even use RCS. When its on I receive my SMS delayed. So no thanks.
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- SShock
- puk
- 13 Aug 2022
Kerr, 13 Aug 2022RCS messages are end to end encrypted routing through Googl... moreAs far as I know, they aren't encrypted by default. How many people do you think will go on their own out of their way to enable E2EE? Yeah. Also you probably missed the recent nonsense Facebook/Meta (unsurprisingly) was pulling by trailing user browsing when done with built-in browser. My trust is like 5000 below zero for all these shady companies that fester on user data. I don't trust them even when they say it's E2EE to a point I just avoid them entirely in advance, just to be sure.
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- Kerr
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- 13 Aug 2022
SShock, 12 Aug 2022Oh and the best part is, unless service provider explicitly... moreRCS messages are end to end encrypted routing through Google, privacy not a concern
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- Anonymous
- q9v
- 13 Aug 2022
Non-US citizens that want to jump on the "it's a rube, arrogant US problem" dog-whistle in this instance are guilty of a greater ignorance (and unwise carelessness) as to why their own chat preferences (not individually, but collectively) developed the way they did, with respect to the popularity of WhatsApp (an extremely proprietary solution, btw). The balkanized and much more diverse Eurasian market, both culturally (borders) and in respect to wireless carrier ownership, was connected a lot earlier than the US in terms of true mobile computing (Nokia, Siemens, Ericsson, Symbian, etc) to facilitate commerce and required the adoption of common GSMA standards. With the EU already established for residency and movement purposes, and after the fall of the Bloc, movement across National borders was a lot more common throughout the whole region than for US citizens. People in Eurasia/ME could use SMS/MMS of the GSMA standard to communicate; however, the per-message fees and roaming costs associated with cross-border and inter-carrier cellular based messaging made the need for a cheaper unified messaging solution far more imperative across the region than in the US where most carriers attempted to provide a fully nationwide network (and domestic SMS/MMS fees were always shared by both the sender and recipient and then eventually absorbed into the plan fees); the US is big enough and isolated enough that many people don't leave it. The use of WiFi and data roaming became the solution of choice in Eurasia, cheap data roaming SIM providers for regional travel and WiFi where possible (homes, hotels, hostels, cafes) pushed messaging to Instant Messengers over the simple cellular based standards (SMS/MMS) that had preceded most usable mobile internet connections (UMTS and newer). The proliferation of IM solutions preceded even the cellular network capacity to handle them as the Internet as served over wires and home computing technology developed earlier, so cellular providers were never pressed for a unified cross-carrier solution for rich messaging.
But boy did people love when an IM solution came around that used their domestic mobile phone numbers as the unique identifier (WhatsApp), it allowed people to use the identifier that tied them to the nation that bore them (with country code and all) and the people they were already in contact with by cellular voice to now connect with anybody around the world in a rich messaging environment. WhatsApp filled a gap in the carriers' implementations and carriers had no strong stimulus to fill this gap given the infrastructure costs of running servers, etc. Neither did the carriers want to give up their unique monopoly in the digital age of charging per message. The fact that poorer governments in Eurasia and in places like SE Asia and Africa have now at least qausi-standardized WhatsApp as a means for official communications has only further entrenched its hegemony in messaging. Pretty swell for a company owned and served up by Facebook.
TL:DR, carrier based messaging solutions (SMS/MMS) were too expensive for most consumers in Eurasia with many contacts from across borders and frequent international roaming to make them feasible for primary adoption, and the per message fees carriers charged and charge, particularly between borders made an alternative imperative.
Though not a Google fanboy, it would be really nice to see a carrier supported solution like RCS become the platform agnostic rich messaging service tied to the phone system. It just doesn't seem like any of the carriers or many other affiliated service companies want to invest the money in the initiative and infrastructure given the risk that people already have a "good enough" proprietary solution. Google is less unhappy about failing in the instant messaging department than they would like to be credited in the future for spearheading the de facto standard, and for the destruction of some of its competitors only private data advantages. And yes, iMessage is very much a value added proposition for Apple and iOS. And yes, carriers would like to be able to charge (separately) for cellular based messaging services that they host and/or relay as they do with SMS/MMS and will continue to do until it is a dead technology. Though Google should be satisfied with its implementation of Messages and RCS on Android as an equivalent, in theory, alternative. Ironically it is probably wireless carrier desire to hold on to per message billing for SMS/MMS that is the biggest barrier to platform agnostic RCS being realized, though if Apple jumped on board the carriers would under social pressure probably consider a solution. For Google this is a calculated move to grab for clout and popularize a new technology appearing to advocate for the common interest in secure messaging while Apple is probably right to hold its cards until more determinations are made on implementation, federation, and where and how data is stored. The major players in mobile phone centered messaging (WhatsApp, Apple, and the carriers) have what they want or realize that changing the status quo will ruin it for all gardens. One factor is consistent with all the dominant messaging platforms on mobile and that is the use of the mobile telephone number as the identifier, Google was too slow to come to this conclusion. People have a number, and they want to use it, they don't want to remember and save 17,000 different usernames and domains to connect.
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- Anonymous
- 70d
- 13 Aug 2022
NOPE, 13 Aug 2022I am ok without RCS thank you, I'll stick to iMessage ... moreSo instead of using only one app, you choose to use 2 apps? Do you like inconvenience?
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- NOPE
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- 13 Aug 2022
I am ok without RCS thank you, I'll stick to iMessage and WhatsApp for my android friends.
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- Anonymous
- 70d
- 13 Aug 2022
Nick Tegrataker, 13 Aug 2022I do agree, it's simply that I found how Google uses t... moreActually, the color and issues are directly related. Why do you think that Apple uses different colors in the first place? Apple does that to inform users that problems are coming when you see that color. If all features work, there is no reason to use different colors. Why other apps don't use different colors? Because all features work. Unfortunately, some people don't understand this simple implication. I find it hilarious that some people think the color is the issue and criticize people who complain. The point is that the different color associates with poor chatting experience. So whenever people see that color, they know that problems are coming, which is why they don't like it.
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- Anonymous
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- 13 Aug 2022
SShock, 13 Aug 2022If I'm ignorant, then you're illiterate. Have you... moreYou said that you were concerned about privacy and then you said that you preferred using SMS over RCS. Only extremely ignorant people would say that. It's like saying that you're concerned about security and you prefer using HTTP over HTTPS. Technically, there is no privacy when using SMS.
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- blue
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- 13 Aug 2022
Anonymous, 13 Aug 2022I guess you think that lying means saying things you don�... moreClearly you haven't even read my last post... The "statements of people" are Google paid campaign, not real issues.
Again, and last time - iOS users have no problem. In Europe they use different apps for sending photos and videos (WhatsApp is really popular here), in the USA they use iMessage. By the way, have you noticed that both the comments were from android users? Why they haven't picked some iPhone user to complain? They couldn't find any!
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- SShock
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- 13 Aug 2022
Anonymous, 13 Aug 2022You're so ignorant. SMS messages are unencrypted. This... moreIf I'm ignorant, then you're illiterate. Have you even read what I said. What do you think "plain text service" means in context of SMS service from my post eh? I never send anything important over SMS, but I'd still very much prefer nothing to go through Google itself. Hence my justification. You people here don't read a single thing and when you do, you seem to not understand any of it.
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- Koma
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- 13 Aug 2022
No I do not want to use RCS, I want SMS and for other stuff are good signal telegram viber. No google or Apple. Don't care about.
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- Nick Tegrataker
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- 13 Aug 2022
Anonym, 12 Aug 2022And I would be perfectly fine with that! It's not abou... moreI do agree, it's simply that I found how Google uses the difference in message colours as a part of their campaign hilarious since they are nothing to do with the narrative that they are trying to push.
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- Anonymous
- 70d
- 13 Aug 2022
SShock, 12 Aug 2022Oh and the best part is, unless service provider explicitly... moreYou're so ignorant. SMS messages are unencrypted. This means that attackers can intercept them and eavesdrop conversations. Chatting by using SMS messages is very bad for privacy. You never know when your SMS messages will be intercepted.
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- Anonymous
- 70d
- 13 Aug 2022
blue, 12 Aug 2022You lie again, as usually. It's from the Google's... moreI guess you think that lying means saying things you don't want to hear. If all features work, people won't complain about it, and this article won't exist.
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- SShock
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- 12 Aug 2022
CC, 12 Aug 2022Apple should stay away, RCS does NOT have end to end encryp... moreOh and the best part is, unless service provider explicitly provides RCS routing, it all goes through Google as some sort of fallback. Now, how could that possibly go wrong for everyone's privacy... It's why Google is harping so hard about RCS. They know if everyone jumps on the bandwagon, but no one is interesting to keep up their dedicated infrastructure, it'll all go through uncle Google's creepy paws. Yeah, no thanks. I'd rather stick with useless old SMS and let individual providers get snippets of this plain text service than route ALL of it through Google. Because we all know none of service providers will be doing their own routing if Google can do it for them. And we're again at why Google is harping RCS so hard. They damn well know all this will happen.
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- blue
- 0CN
- 12 Aug 2022
xocomaox, 12 Aug 2022How could you possibly blame Google in any of this? Apple u... moreI blame Google for this? No, I blame Google for a stupid campaign based on lies. And again, iOS users simply don't care about anything Google "describes" as a problem.
Oh, by the way, iMessages was first truly rich messaging default app. As i remember, Apple even offered it to Google, they refused. And now Google wants to force Apple to use something different?
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- blue
- 0CN
- 12 Aug 2022
Anonymous, 12 Aug 2022Those are GSMArena's words. You just announced that yo... moreYou lie again, as usually. It's from the Google's campaing, see the videos. That's where they took it from. Besides, the video is totally shameful, but somehow that's all Google's behavior last couple of years. And so is yours with all the lies.