8mo ago

How RCS on iPhone Will Make Texting Better for Everyone

www.cnet.com How RCS on iPhone Will Make Texting Better for Everyone

The update is expected to arrive with iOS 18.

71 comments

is not rcs simply another locked down standard under the thumb of google, which they have decided to limit and block on rooted devices in the past?
correct me if im wrong ? but this all seems like a freight train of no good barelling in. google propoganda has won out and we’re swapping one gatekept standard for another.
- I believe that RCS is a specification maintained by the GSM Association. That's not to say Google is not a member (they are) and has a strong influence, but Google doesn't own the standard either
  
  Last I had looked into it, although the standard exists, they use their own servers and are not compatible with other rcs implementations
  
  The E2EE element of RCS has basically been a property Google thing, despite all their marketing BS about RCS seeming like some sort of open universal career messaging platform.
  Although, allegedly they’ve finally relented and a universal encryption solution is now in the works.
  
  They don't own the standard, but they own the Android implementation of it. Other RCS implantations are hardcoded to not be supported on Android, with the exception of Samsung's - and they had to enter an agreement with Google (that we don't know the terms for) to do that, and even then it's just the Google implementation under the skin. I guess similar to all iOS browsers being Safari underneath.
  It's not open unless you create your own new operating system and implement it that way.
  Google's implementation also adds a bunch of closed-source extensions on top of the standard.
- Can confirm they block rooted Android users intentionally, completely silently, at least when using Google's RCS servers. The message just doesn't send and is automatically deemed spam if you don't pass PlayIntegrity. And the only RCS capable app is Google's Messages, third party apps can only access SMS and MMS functionnality.
  So yeah, fuck RCS really. I was completely on board with RCS until that. Apple was right on that one. It won't fix messaging, it just puts it in Google's hands unless carriers finally decide to roll out real RCS instead of relying on Google to provide it.
  Third party apps had that resolved a decade ago, and Signal is just plain better.
  
  You don't even have to be rooted. RCS won't work using a non-rooted custom ROM.
  
  IIRC at least textra is also able to peruse RCS, though I’m sure it goes through google servers too
  
  I disabled RCS after hearing about this, despite being on an unrooted stock rom. I've had a phone suddenly decide to not pass "integrity" 2 years after buying it, despite being not rooted and on stock, it's not worth the risk of missing text messages.
- Moving forward, Google appears to be relenting to Apple, and will be giving up their control over RCS E2EE. Apple and Google are working with the GSMA on a universal standard that is not owned by a single gatekeeper.
  That said, for v1 of RCS on iOS, since that universal encryption standard doesn’t exist, RCS will be unencrypted on iOS, allegedly. So, it’s likely to mean that, this fall, iOS to Android is still just as insecure as ever over carrier text messaging, but now images and videos won’t look like shit. Then at some point soon, cross platform messaging will get proper encryption.
  We’ll probably need to wait until WWDC before we get more info on what’s actually happening with cross platform RCS.
- And it's still tied to your phone number!
  Why would I want another messenger that's tied to a phone number?
  RCS is too little, too late. I'll never use it.
  
  It's the natural evolution of SMS. And SMS does what no messaging app does, it lets me send a text message to any mobile number without having to wonder whether the other party has installed the same app as me.
  When I make phone calls, it's between me, the person I'm calling and our carriers. I want it to be the same for text messages.
  
  Sure, the other option is having it tied to an email, which is reliant on your single vendor and is also an easier way to create an army of spam bots. Phone numbers at least are transferable between carriers.
- RCS itself is an open standard (kind of), but Google Messages is literally the only RCS Client
  There are no others. Like seriously you can barely find another usable RCS Client
  
  sad! the world once again fell for google’s propaganda and deception just because they were able to muster up a good-guy attitude and a winning smile.
- They better not obstruct the Linux phones.
  
  Obstruct? No. Not even think about? Yes.
  
  I don't assume anyone has written a real client yet but there's a library you can use: https://github.com/Hirohumi/rust-rcs-client

Let's use a protocol that shadily blocks everything google doesn't like. Yeah, fuck that.
- Right? Google cries about how Apple is so exclusive with their messaging and still pulls the same draconian shit. What a joke
- What is this about?
  The main RCS benefit is sharing videos between Apple and Android that don't look like potatoes. Can't imagine what is being shadily blocked there.
  
  Try using a custom ROM on Android and you'll quickly see.
  
  As much as they like to pretend RCS is an open standard, it's really not. In practice, it's a proprietary protocol to Google Messages. Which the other commenter mentioning custom roms, Google recently blocked platforms that they dont approve of from using RCS.

I still don't get what's so great about RCS over SMS/MMS? There's E2EE but that won't be in this implementation apparently.
- Being able to send pictures and videos without SMS/MMS downscaling them to like 144p (hell I've had it be even worse than that for videos sometimes) is incredibly handy. That's the main benefit for me. Others have commented about the other features. And I'm fairly certain the article did state E2EE will be implemented.
- A variety of small but useful features. Typing indicator, reactions, read receipts, and larger media limits. I'm sure there's more, that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
  
  You can send rcs messages over Wifi even if you don't have a cell signal, like iMessage. You can also get iPhone emoji reactions to messages instead of getting a text message saying "X hearted this," or w/e
  
  SMS has read receipts too. I'm not sure I care about any of the others.
- okay, so, the idea was initially to build something akin to SMS/MMS in the way it's used but make it more ready for the modern age
  just a couple of problems:
  End-To-End-Encryption isn't officially a part of RCS itself thanks to Telcom companies in the US not being allowed to add that
  Google Messages is literally the only way to use RCS right now.
  It's "open"-ness is quite disputed due to Google's control over it
  really, we should either be using Matrix, or at the very least build out XMPP into something more modern.
  
  what do you mean Telecoms companies aren't allowed to add E2EE? there is no such regulation I'm aware of.
  besides, how would Apple have been supporting E2EE in iMessage for so long if Telecoms companies weren't allowed?
  could be a motivation issue, but not a regulation issue.
- Videos that don't compress to hell when there's both iOS and Android in a chat, that's the main feature.
- One feature I found extremely useful is that you can now quote previous texts. Less useful is the ability to react to texts with emojis. But it's good for letting someone know that you saw/liked their message by reacting with a thumbs up.
  
  I have never remembered this when it would actually be useful, and always end up accidentally doing it.
- Blue bubbles.
  (I'm half joking)
- It only has E2EE if you use Google's proprietary implementation. And even then it's not the best implementation of E2EE.
  There has been some chatter of adding it to the RCS spec, though.
  Not that it matters that much, on Android you're still locked to Google's RCS API and the same will be true to iOS with Apple's.

RCS makes everything better by forcing us to add a second proprietary communication standard to our phone that is advertised by Google and required by Chinese law regulations. And is also know for bad security…. What could possibly go wrong.

Does it have end to end encryption like iMessage or WhatsApp? No. The winners and the losers are clear to me.
- more like Signal, which is superior to Whatsapp snd iMessage
  
  Isn’t WhatsApp using Signal protocol? Isn’t also iMessage using post quantum computing cryptography like Signal?
  I know Signal is superior privacy wise, but is not that used

And then there’s Outlook just being its ancient self.

71 comments