14 DAY TRIAL // Google’s struggle to convince Apple to use Rich Communication Services, or RCS, continues, this time with a dedicated post in which the search giant specifically criticizes its rival for sticking with an old approach.
While Apple has rarely talked about RCS making its way to iPhones, with CEO Tim Cook previously saying there’s no interest from users on this front, Google highlights the main advantages of this standard in its post.
One of them is the security offered by RCS, as it uses end-to-end encryption. When iMessage is not available, Apple’s text messaging system uses the traditional SMS, which obviously does not support such security capabilities.
Apple rarely talking about RCS
“RCS enables end-to-end encryption, while SMS does not. This means that all one-on-one texts sent using Messages by Google, for example, are encrypted, so they’re private and safe and can only be seen by the sender and the recipient. And now, end-to-end encryption is starting to roll out for group chats and will be available to some users in the open beta program over the coming weeks. This shouldn’t even be a thought — just an expectation and something anyone texting should not have to worry about,” Google says.
The Mountain View-based search giant goes on to explain that Apple is sticking with an old approach that was used several decades ago.
“RCS is designed to work universally, so no matter where you live, who makes your phone or what it runs on, you can enjoy the same texting experience. And today, all of the major mobile carriers and manufacturers have adopted RCS as the standard — except for Apple. Apple refuses to adopt RCS and continues to rely on SMS when people with iPhones message people with Android phones, which means their texting is stuck in the 1990s,” the company says.