Apple CEO took a very salty stance at the 2022 Code Conference when journalists asked him about RCS text messaging. The reporter stated that they were unable to send their mother certain videos, Cook responded by basically saying iPhone users haven’t really pushed Apple to address it, and then Cook joked that the reporter should buy their mother an iPhone.
That was either the smoothest “Yo Mama” joke ever or Cook totally sidestepping the issue by placing the onus on iPhone users. As an iPhone user, I have wondered about this very issue, but I understand Apple’s tendency towards proprietary and closed systems is all-encompassing and one of the little things that make us elitist iPhone users feel warm inside.
RCS (Rich Communications Service)
Google has been pushing RCS on Apple for a while now and even going public with a “Get the message” website to shame the company into participating in RCS messaging. Apple has yet to be swayed, but Cook did leave the door open, stating, ” Apple isn’t addressing RCS “at this point,” which, if you wish to see this positively, means it’s not entirely out of the question.
Google’s pitch for RCS is that it will create a better connection between iOS and Android users. For some odd reason, the “green bubble” that appears on an iPhone when an Android user texts them has an odd social status attached to it. More importantly, there are some communication issues between the two, specifically regarding sharing media, such as images or videos.
There was a time when Apple considered bringing iMessage to Android, but that fantasy died quickly as executives within Cupertino felt it would do more harm than good. Also, Google’s push for RCS messaging has hit snags along the way as service providers were slow to add support for the format.
In the end, I’m sure most iPhone users do not view the “green bubble” as a personal stain they use to judge Android users (maybe a little), but most likely see it as maybe it’s time Mom upgrades to an iPhone 14, gets to enjoy her own private Dynamic Island and the comfort of knowing when she’s on a nature hike; she can still get help thanks to the satellite connectivity in the latest iPhone 14.
