Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
RCS had its time, it failed and is now just another pet project of Google’s that they’ll likely get bored with in a few years and abandons for their next messaging software attempt. What succeeds and will grab worldwide attention will be whatever the GSMA decides will be the next step for carriers.
I seriously don’t understand why you think it’s failed. I’m currently using it… it hasn’t been abandon by Google. I’m honestly glad it exist… the people that I know who uses RCS enjoys it. I don’t understand why Google will abandon something that carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) actually decided to implement (Advanced Messaging).
 
Imagine that, today, there was a way to send messages from an iPhone to Android through the carrier such that it effectively looks like iMessage. Folks using WhatsApp are going to continue using WhatsApp because going through the carrier STILL costs “per messsage” charges depending on where it’s going. So, even if what you wanted existed, you’d still not be ditching those apps if you still wanted to communicate with those people.
No one I message uses WhatsApp to avoid per-message charges. It’s to know that the photo or video you send gets through without being compressed to hell, or that the longer text you send doesn’t get split up and arrive out of order or partially not at all.

What I’m describing addresses all the things that pushed my friends and family to third party apps.
 
Sure, if the lowest common denominator is SMS/MMS, then we’re in agreement. Anyone that wants different just downloads a free app and uses it. (Like those on Android that downloads and uses Google Messages, Google, like Line, could release their RCS app for iOS)

RCS had its time, it failed and is now just another pet project of Google’s that they’ll likely get bored with in a few years and abandons for their next messaging software attempt. What succeeds and will grab worldwide attention will be whatever the GSMA decides will be the next step for carriers.

How did it fail? Because Apple hasn't adopted it? If that's what determines success, even ubiquitous technologies like VGA could be said to have failed.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: strongy
No one I message uses WhatsApp to avoid per-message charges. It’s to know that the photo or video you send gets through without being compressed to hell, or that the longer text you send doesn’t get split up and arrive out of order or partially not at all.

What I’m describing addresses all the things that pushed my friends and family to third party apps.

There are billions more people in the world than your friends and family. In many parts of the world SMS and MMS are still charged by the message and are fairly expensive.
 
  • Like
Reactions: progx
There are billions more people in the world than your friends and family. In many parts of the world SMS and MMS are still charged by the message and are fairly expensive.
I don’t recall ever saying anything to the contrary. I never pretended to speak for everyone on earth, although I will say that none of the countries I’ve lived in for the past decade or so have had expensive (or even limited) sms charges on even basic prepaid sim plans. I don’t know about mms because I don’t use it, because it’s so terrible. Obviously some places might still have super high charges, but that’s more the exception than the norm these days.
 
Well it says so on there web site

Here they didn’t team up on “RCS”, they teamed up on “Google RCS” which is a different thing that’s not supported by the carriers, unlike “RCS” that was to be a part of the failed CCMI.
 
  • Like
Reactions: strongy and progx
I seriously don’t understand why you think it’s failed. I’m currently using it… it hasn’t been abandon by Google.
Hasn’t been abandoned by Google, yet… I guess except in India where they have actually disabled it. RCS — as a replacement/upgrade for SMS/MMS (just like MMS was an upgrade of SMS) supported by the carriers — is indeed a failure. What’s left in the US is “Google RCS” which is and will remain, an Android only solution. This is while companies like WhatsApp, Signal and others offer cross platform solutions.
I don’t understand why Google will abandon something that carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) actually decided to implement (Advanced Messaging).
There are folks that didn’t know why Google would abandon their previous 15 messaging attempts, as well. :) And, to be clear, the US carriers haven’t done anything other than made Messages by Google their default app for Android phones. The RCS messages goes through Google’s network, not AT&T’s, Verizon’s, or T-mobile’s. By comparison, the carrier’s SMS and MMS messages DO go through their networks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: strongy and progx
No one I message uses WhatsApp to avoid per-message charges. It’s to know that the photo or video you send gets through without being compressed to hell, or that the longer text you send doesn’t get split up and arrive out of order or partially not at all.
They may not be using it specifically to avoid per-message charges but ALL of them ARE indeed avoiding per message charges, whether they want to avoid the fees or not. That’s been a feature of and was part of the tremendous rise of WhatsApp from the very beginning, before iMessage even existed.

And, folks currently using WhatsApp are going to continue to do so regardless of if a seamless cross platform carrier supported option arrives or not. That’s why the carriers are not going to spend a lot of money to roll out a cross platform messaging feature that’s better than MMS/SMS… very few would ever use it. The situation that exists now is very likely the one that will continue to exist.
 
  • Like
Reactions: strongy
How did it fail? Because Apple hasn't adopted it? If that's what determines success, even ubiquitous technologies like VGA could be said to have failed.
No, because only around 20 carriers worldwide have adopted it. Far more than that support SMS/MMS just fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: strongy
There are folks that didn’t know why Google would abandon their previous 15 messaging attempts, as well. :) And, to be clear, the US carriers haven’t done anything other than made Messages by Google their default app for Android phones. The RCS messages goes through Google’s network, not AT&T’s, Verizon’s, or T-mobile’s. By comparison, the carrier’s SMS and MMS messages DO go through their networks.
I completely understand. However, those previous 15 attempts did not have other players involved lol. Even Samsung decided to make Google their default Messaging app. Judging by Google history… I acknowledge that can be some hesitation into believing Google will keep RCS as a form of communication on the Android side. But then again, perhaps… this time with carrier support RCS will prevail.

Normally those carriers will have their own messaging app on top of Samsung and Google messaging apps.
 
They may not be using it specifically to avoid per-message charges but ALL of them ARE indeed avoiding per message charges, whether they want to avoid the fees or not. That’s been a feature of and was part of the tremendous rise of WhatsApp from the very beginning, before iMessage even existed.

And, folks currently using WhatsApp are going to continue to do so regardless of if a seamless cross platform carrier supported option arrives or not. That’s why the carriers are not going to spend a lot of money to roll out a cross platform messaging feature that’s better than MMS/SMS… very few would ever use it. The situation that exists now is very likely the one that will continue to exist.
The telecommunications landscape is very different now to back when WhatsApp first got big though, a lot of what applied then doesn’t really apply now. Messaging is cheap in most places, often unlimited. Data is usually the only thing people really pay for and everything else gets bundled in, even on super cheap carriers/contracts/prepaid sims. Assuming that people won’t change now becuase of a decision made 10+ years ago under totally different market conditions doesn’t really hold up to scrutiny.
 
rcs isn't a standard and outside of america it barely even exists
Fair enough. I was using standard in the sense of critical mass. Should it reach international critical mass like USB-C, my statement still applies. I'm sure there's a chess game going on here that none of us are privy to. One calculus might be other things that have reached critical mass. Encrypted apps gaining critical mass may - or should be part of their overall calculus on the part of both Apple and Google. How they move their pieces is part of the game.
 
This is such a tone deaf response. Apple at this point is begging for the US Dept of Justice to bring an Antitrust case against Apple Inc. Not to mention most people can not afford Apple products outright and have to take out device financing to pay for them. In addition people who are elderly probably do not want to take out large amounts of debt since they do not want to burden their family since they could pass away any day from old age.
 
I mean, I get it from a business point of view, since tons of people want the “blue bubbles” to look cool, but from a technology stance it really doesn’t make sense

Apple always talks about being “innovative”, yet they are still adamant on using a 30-year-old protocol when there are way better options available as a standard.

Not saying that they can’t continue to develop exclusive features for iMessage, but I think it’s a bit ridiculous that in 2022 I’m still limited to sending someone a text or image if they don’t have an iPhone.
It is more than just a blue bubble. Have you tried sending an iPhone photo or video to an Android user lately? If you can send it at all it is usually very blurry and low quality due to the size having to be shrunk to fit in the MMS size limits which RCS messaging eliminates.
 
  • Disagree
  • Like
Reactions: addamas and strongy
So what's the business reason for not adopting the industry standard of RCS? SMS is long in the tooth and is probably ready to go to the grave. But, I'm sure I'm missing something here....
 
The problem with RCS is that it's scarcely available network side in many places. Google gets around that by offering RCS directly over a data connection, but at that point the system is just another type of service like iMessage, WhatsApp, or Signal.
Not sure I understand. What do you mean that RCS is scarcely available network side?

Do you mean it's an industry standard that has yet to be adopted widely by the various telecommunication companies?
 
The telecommunications landscape is very different now to back when WhatsApp first got big though, a lot of what applied then doesn’t really apply now. Messaging is cheap in most places, often unlimited. Data is usually the only thing people really pay for and everything else gets bundled in, even on super cheap carriers/contracts/prepaid sims. Assuming that people won’t change now becuase of a decision made 10+ years ago under totally different market conditions doesn’t really hold up to scrutiny.
All one has to do is look at the number of WhatsApp users. It’s getting larger all the time. And, that massive base is just going to continue to pull in those that are buying new smartphones, one of the first apps they download will be WhatsApp. In some countries, you can’t even participate fully in the commerce of that region or use government services, which will also drive growth. One could ask the question, “What would it take for WhatsApp users to stop using WhatsApp.” The answer to that question determines if that technology has staying power (much like the FAR older and MUCH more different market conditions that existed for Windows).
 
  • Like
Reactions: adrianlondon
I completely understand. However, those previous 15 attempts did not have other players involved lol. Even Samsung decided to make Google their default Messaging app. Judging by Google history… I acknowledge that can be some hesitation into believing Google will keep RCS as a form of communication on the Android side. But then again, perhaps… this time with carrier support RCS will prevail.

Normally those carriers will have their own messaging app on top of Samsung and Google messaging apps.
Right after I read your reply, I read that Alphabet has missed on their earnings and revenue again. And just read this today.
If they miss earnings again, they may be looking into cutting in areas where the return on investment is falling short.
 
This is such a tone deaf response. Apple at this point is begging for the US Dept of Justice to bring an Antitrust case against Apple Inc. Not to mention most people can not afford Apple products outright and have to take out device financing to pay for them. In addition people who are elderly probably do not want to take out large amounts of debt since they do not want to burden their family since they could pass away any day from old age.
The reporter indicated they had difficulty sending images and videos to their mother. Tim wasn’t wrong, one way to resolve the issue is for the reporter to buy the mother an iPhone. Not tone deaf, it’s a valid answer for the question. I guess he could have said “Type ‘how to share images and videos from iPhone to Android’ into the search engine of your choice”, but one would think someone asking a question at the Code Conference would know that?
 
  • Like
Reactions: strongy
If they miss earnings again, they may be looking into cutting in areas where the return on investment is falling short.
Tbh, I applaud them on the move. I personally believe ChromeOS doesn’t need premium hardware which Pixelbooks are known for. I don’t think they actually sell well, definitely not to the standards of the industry. Heck, I wish they would have axed the project before investing into it.

And Google is pivoting heavy toward the tablet market given the upcoming release of the Pixel tablet along with updating updating their own apps to tablet UI. And my belief is that there’s an overlap between Pixel tablet and a Pixelbook.

But on the topic of investments in regards to RCS, not sure how this correlates because where do Google go from here if they decide to give up on RCS. In most cases, if Google axes a project.. there’s another one in the shadow. Although, RCS has seen some rough patches… it has a similar iMessage experience whereas its attached to an individual number and there’s no sign up needed.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.