There is hope for better messaging between iOS and Android users as Apple has announced that iOS will support RCS in 2024. The announcement that RCS texting would soon be available on iPhones is exciting news. Google has been pushing for the adoption of RCS as the messaging standard for years. They have conducted multiple social media ads complaining about iPhones not providing a common ground and promised advantages like typing indicators and improved group conversations.Do we need the alternative?
The goal of RCS is to standardize messaging functionalities for various platforms, devices, and service providers. A more sophisticated and uniform messaging experience, very similar to internet-based chat applications like WhatsApp and Telegram, is made possible by this standardization. Features like real-time live chat and multimedia support (which includes high-quality photos and movies) are made possible via RCS. These features give customers a more dynamic and participatory means of communication than the standard SMS and MMS messaging services.
Is RCS the need of hour?
One of the most important things is that it provides interoperability. Users who wish to communicate with others regardless of the messaging software they use may find this interoperability useful. Well, in case of India or Europe, most of the population is already on WhatsApp and isn’t giving any hints of shifting to any other platform anytime soon while it may be different only for the US market where the messaging bubbles are becoming a social issue for millennials and gen-Z.Google gatekeeping RCS?
Although google seems to play the role of victim here in the blue vs green bubble saga, it is the criminal in gatekeeping the RCS functionality. Android’s best-case v/s apple is its customizations where it allows you to change anything you want and still use your device with the best functionality. While, if you want to use RCS, you are just stuck with Google’s message app. All other default messaging apps along with third-party messaging apps which come with better functionality and UI are still stuck on SMS. One of those third-party messaging apps – Pulse says that google still hasn’t provided any way/mean to integrate it with RCS. Almost all android phones come with google message app being the default application for messaging.
Although Google promotes RCS to bust the myth of the "green" vs "blue" bubble, some are concerned about possible monopolistic tendencies in Google's own operations. The Google Messages app appears to be attempting to create dominance like iMessage, as evidenced by its gatekeeping of RCS capabilities and lack of integration options for third-party messaging apps. This could possibly limit consumer choice and innovation in the messaging.
Undoubtedly, RCS aims to standardize messaging functionalities, enhancing communication with capabilities related to well-known chat apps. Because of its compatibility, communicating across devices and platforms can be easier and less frustrating when dealing with disparate messaging systems. Nonetheless, the prevalence of platforms such as WhatsApp in areas like Europe and India poses a significant obstacle to the adoption of RCS. The success of RCS totally depends on how google aims to integrate it in android, and if it isn’t the next thing that google kills.
