The green bubble-blue bubble divide may soon decrease. 9-5Mac It says Apple has confirmed it will support the long-denied RCS messaging standard. This does not mean that messages from Android devices will no longer appear green in Apple’s Messages app. This means that texts from iPhones to non-iOS devices will support the newer Rich Communication Services protocol, meaning they won’t have to go through the old SMS (and MMS) system. “We believe the RCS Universal Profile will provide a better interoperability experience than SMS or MMS,” Apple said in a statement.
This support will “work together with iMessage, making it the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.” With new features like voice memo transcriptions and registration that RCS doesn’t have, iMessage can still beat the default text messaging apps on Android. This also means that the chat bubbles may not have any color changes.
Google has been around for a long time potshots taken at Apple for Does not support RCS, saying that the messaging experience between iPhone and non-iPhone phones is so outdated that it can use a pager. With RCS support, messages between Android and iOS devices will be more secure (unlike SMS), and media can be shared in higher quality.
In a statement on Thursday, Google said it was happy to see Apple support RCS. “We welcome Apple’s involvement in our ongoing work with the GSMA to improve RCS and make messaging fairer and safer, and we look forward to working with them to make it work well for everyone on iOS,” Google placed On X.
A GSMA spokesperson told Engadget earlier this year that the RCS Universal Profile (UP) “provides the industry with an open, consistent and global messaging service across networks and devices. It facilitates interoperability and enables OEMs and OS providers to achieve scale and provide consumers with a wide range of enabling us to deliver a richer and more consistent messaging experience regardless of device or network.”
While the statement says “late next year,” it’s not yet clear when Apple plans to enable support for RCS UP. Today’s announcement coincides with the deadline for companies to appeal to the General Court of the European Union. Apple does it is reported that he wants to protest The EU’s decision to place the entire App Store on the digital antitrust list under the Digital Markets Act.
In September, Apple introduced the iPhone 15 series, the company’s first phones to come with USB-C charging ports instead of Lightning. This week we also saw news of the release of the Qi 2 wireless charging standard, with the new iPhones among the first available devices to be compatible with the updated protocols.
Whether brought on by EU regulations or other motivations, it’s clear that Apple is opening up parts of its walled garden to play nice with other devices. And maybe you just don’t need to “buy your mom an iPhone.”
Update, November 16, 2023, 7:00 PM ET: This story has been updated with a statement from Google.