The blue bubble-green bubble divide may soon get smaller. Apple plans to adopt a technological standard next year that will allow text messaging to operate more smoothly between iPhones and Android devices, according to a statement by a company spokesperson to 9to5Mac. The spokesperson said that RCS, a more feature-rich texting standard that’s available on Android phones, will be coming to the iPhone and will work alongside iMessage.
“Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association. We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users,” reads the statement from Apple via 9to5Mac.
RCS, or Rich Communications Standard, is a messaging service that’s better than SMS and MMS messaging standards smartphones have used since their arrival. RCS allows users to share higher resolution photos and videos between devices, supports read receipts and there are fun elements like the ability to add emoji and GIFs into a conversation. Further, there are extra layers of security that the older messaging standards lack.
It’s still unclear as to the form the new RCS messaging will take. Though not confirmed, the change could be a response to regulatory pressure from the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a rule that requires major companies, such as Apple, to make their services interoperable with other platforms. In September, the European Commission started an investigation into iMessage as to whether it should be considered a “core platform service” but Apple has reportedly argued that iMessage isn’t popular enough in Europe for the rules to apply.
Google has been promoting RCS standard for a long time Picture: iStock
Companies like Google and Samsung have long pushed for Apple to add support for RCS and Google has even sent a letter to the European Commission arguing that iMessage should be considered a core platform service under the DMA. Earlier this week, Nothing, the phone company owned by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, showcased iMessage-style messaging in its Android phone.
End of the road for SMS/MMS tech?
For years, Apple has stuck to its own iMessage platform resulting in a layer of incompatibility. For example, videos shared between iOS and Android are low-bandwidth. Apple has been relying on SMS and MMS to bridge the digital divide between the messaging platforms. Now that RCS is already supported by major players, when Apple adds support for RCS, it probably wouldn’t need that old bridge, and the move may make SMS ride into the sunset.
There is also no word on what it means for green chat bubbles. In iOS, chats between iPhone users appear in blue-shaded bubbles, but messages from Android users appear in green bubbles. Young users, it appears, want to remain with the blue bubble. Even with RCS, Apple may continue to mark Android users as outsiders in group chats but at least the quality of videos and photos will improve. Gen Z users — or those born after 1996 — make up 34 per cent of all iPhone owners in the US, versus 10 per cent for Samsung, according to recent data from Attain, an adtech data platform. And these are users who have made the blue bubble a matter of ‘status symbol’.
Globally, for every 100 iPhones shipped, Apple sells 26 iPads, 17 Apple Watches and 35 pairs of Airpods, according to market intelligence group Canalys. On the other hand, Samsung sells just 11 tablets, six smartwatches and six wireless earbuds for each 100 of its smartphones shipped.
A recent EU legislation has pushed Apple to switch from Lightning port to the widespread USB-C standard on its latest iPhone. Though legislation forced the hand, Apple came back with updates — the ability to record videos in ProRes Log directly on to an external memory — that now distinguish the iPhone from Android more than ever before.
Avoid misconceptions
Apple bringing RCS support doesn’t necessarily mean that all of Apple’s top iMessage features would be available to Android users. Both Apple and Google have exclusive features in their texting apps. For example, Apple has Check In for location sharing while Google’s Magic Compose feature uses AI to draft texts.
The move doesn’t mean the death of the green bubble versus blue bubble situation. RCS will probably coexist with iMessage.
Since Apple said the update will take place “later next year”, one can only assume that the change will come with the release of the next version of iOS.