SMS is over three and a half decades old. And everything indicates that its era has just come to an end, and this – which may come as a surprise – is thanks to Apple. The Cupertino company has long delayed the introduction of the RCS standard, which is more modern than SMS, to the iPhone. Now, however, the American giant has bowed to the pressure of competition and the European Union.
Hell has frozen over. Apple will implement the standard known from Android
As reported, Apple unexpectedly announced the implementation of the RCS (Rich Communication Suite) standard on Thursday. So far, the iPhone manufacturer about RCS. Google, which has been trying to promote this standard for years, strongly encouraged Apple to support RCS.
RCS is a much newer (than SMS) communication standard created by GSMA and supported by almost all smartphones (Android). “Successor to SMS” allows, among others: see that the recipient has read the message or is currently composing a reply, supports group chats, allows you to send large photos, videos, gifs and even larger files. What’s more, the conversation in both directions is encrypted.
Apple’s iMessage app gives users similar features, but they only work when two iPhone users are in contact. If an Apple device owner sends a message to an Android phone user, communication in both directions will take place using traditional SMS or MMS. Apple even marked such messages in iMessage with a different color so that the iPhone owner immediately knew that his interlocutor did not have a device with a bitten apple on the casing. It was also not possible to send e.g. larger photos and videos or even your location between platforms.
Not instead of but alongside iMessage. Apple translates
With support for RCS in iPhones, this is about to change. An Apple spokesperson said in a statement to 9to5Mac that the company believes “RCS will provide better interoperability compared to SMS and MMS.”
However, the company emphasized that RCS will be an additional solution in the event of contact between an iPhone owner and an Android user. The protocol is intended to work alongside iMessage, which, an Apple spokesperson said, “will continue to be the best and most secure way to send messages for Apple users.”
It can be suspected that Apple’s decision was not fully voluntary and the company succumbed to pressure from the European Union. After the new EU regulations come into force, Apple may have to open the iMessage service to other platforms (Android), which the American giant absolutely did not want to hear about. It is therefore likely that by opening up to the RCS standard, Apple is trying to avoid possible regulatory problems on the Old Continent. And users will benefit from it.
Unfortunately, we will have to wait for RCS support in iPhones, because Apple wants to introduce it “next year”. Regardless, this decision may finally help kill old texting. Perhaps not completely, because SMS will still be needed in case of contact with a person who has a traditional mobile phone or in case of lack of Internet access, but in the vast majority of cases we will communicate via the much more advanced RCS standard.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
