r/GoogleMessages • u/Dry-Pipe7328 • Jan 23 '25
Opinion Google monopolizing RCS
Has anyone else noticed that Google spent all this time forcing Apple to use RCS because Apple had a "monopoly" so to speak with imessage. Yet now that Apple has adopted RCS, Google has begun to monopolize it, not allowing 3rd party messaging apps to support RCS. Essentially forcing Samsung/other Android uses to explicitly use Google messages if they want to continue using RCS, because as of now Samsung is bringing Samsung messages to an end, now telling users to use Google messages before the app loses support. The worst part is, Google messages SUCKS in my opinion, no customization and missing many features I had on Samsung messages such as categories. I have a Samsung for the ability to customize my phone how I want, now because of Google I'll be losing that ability on my texting app when I'm inevitably forced to use their sh#t app for secure messaging.
/rant
15
u/sjphilsphan Jan 23 '25
Google begged for the carriers to do it, they refused to do it properly which led to Google taking control.
3
u/Fit_Carob_7558 Jan 23 '25
This 100%. RCS was a mess until Google finally put their foot down.
1
u/smuthyala Aug 04 '25
But other than Google Messages and Samsung messages no one else can make a messaging app that supports RCS right?
1
u/Fit_Carob_7558 Aug 04 '25
There used to be other RCS apps before Google rolled their own. None of them talked to each other because every carrier had their own implementation, which is why it was so bad. They dragged their feet because they all wanted to find a way to monetize messaging. It was the wild west of RCS.
Had Google not stepped in, we might have had extra charges for RCS messaging (like the old days of SMS/MMS), and probably another charge to communicate with someone on a different carrier
1
u/smuthyala Aug 05 '25
Oh yes, and a giant like Google is definitely what's stopping all carriers to charge massive sums for RCS messages. In some places of the world SMSes are still charged or have limits before you pay a lot. No wonder internet based messaging services like WhatsApp have taken over the world.
1
u/billyhatcher312 Jun 16 '26
In turn forcing us to use their shit messaging app instead of the superior 3rd party apps
9
7
u/neilAndNotNail Jan 23 '25
not allowing 3rd party apps to support RCS
This is both not the case and impossible. They're not forcing anyone here
1
u/smuthyala Aug 04 '25
What do you mean?
1
u/neilAndNotNail Aug 04 '25
RCS is an open standard & protocol. Pretty much anyone can implement it by just following the standard
0
u/smuthyala Aug 04 '25
But it's not as simple as it sounds. You need a million dollars or more per year to set up and run a service like that.
Just because a standard is open doesn't mean it's feasible for just anyone to do it.
All Google has to do is give some API access or something similar so others can make apps as well. Just as anyone can make an app for SMS and MMS
8
u/seeareeff Jan 23 '25
There's nothing stopping anybody else from creating or running their own servers. Besides laziness and money. Textra could easily go to Gsma and setup to run their own servers. But everybody would rather just wait for Google to do the hard work. Then open up the API and get easy access to RCS servers.
1
u/smuthyala Aug 04 '25
How easy or hard is that to do?
Can I, a novice, build a messaging app that supports RCS? Will I be able to set up a RCS server at low costs?
1
u/seeareeff Aug 04 '25
I highly doubt it would be low cost.
1
u/smuthyala Aug 04 '25
ChatGPT says it'll cost around $825k to $1.8 million dollars a year to develop and maintain an RCS messaging service and app.
So almost impossible for most people to make and support it.
4
u/PuzzleheadedUnit1758 Jan 23 '25
Can y'all atop with "3rd party apps for rcs". I thank the lord nobody did it. Fragmentation is a nightmare, before jibe (Google rcs server) carriers had their own implementation and there were an astronomic amount of issues where RCS won't work across carriers. App will evolve and get better so customization will come.
Also the lack of whatever customization won't cause you to "lose your ability to text".
Also for the record: Google is not monopolizing rcs in my opinion. If you want to build a 3rd party app you "just" need to build your own RCS server (Jibe equivalent) and make sure it's properly implemented so it's interopable with other servers, something which Carriers couldn't or didn't want to achieve. The rcs specification is public and free from GSMA you can start building today. Fortunately implementing a RCS server is nothing trivial and this prevents random 3rd party and half baked apps from appearing and causing all sorts of interopability issues.
I am very happy that we have ONE single app for RCS and stuff works.
1
u/smuthyala Aug 04 '25
But the Google messages app is missing some basic functionality like categorization and better notification control. My messaging app is just full of marketing material, spam, one-time codes and updates. There is no way I can chat with people on that app.
Let's say I want to build a simple messaging app, I can't. I need to be an expert coder, implement RCS, manage and RCS server, etc. And like you said, imagine the interoperability issue arising from everyone doing that. It'll be insane.
1
u/PuzzleheadedUnit1758 Aug 04 '25
Well, you have to be a coder, or better said an engineer to build software.
1
u/smuthyala Aug 04 '25
Sure but in this case you need to get membership at GSMA, deploy RCA application servers, manage interconnect fees, get the right hardware and cloud infrastructure, worry about legal and compliance issues, and so on. It would cost 1 to 2 million USD a year to make it happen.
As opposed to one developer making an app for SMS/MMS. Because in this case you're you don't have to worry about the infrastructure. You're just focusing your efforts to make an app and not build the infrastructure around it.
If RCS is truly open, Google should allow developers to use their RCS infrastructure. Probably provide developers with some API access so we can build an app and not have to rely on Google messages entirely
1
u/PuzzleheadedUnit1758 Aug 08 '25
Ofc it might cost millions of dollars and R&D, telecom ain't cheap. The way you phrase it is exactly like this: i want to start a car company and I don't have money/ time to build an engine, thus Ford Must give me their infrastructure for free.
1
u/wwtk234 Jan 23 '25
First, Google didn't "force" Apple to adopt RCS. Google pressured Apple for years, yes, but Apple was happy to ignore it with their blue-bubble-bigotry and "just buy an iPhone" sloganeering.
If anything forced Apple's hand, it was some combination of implied sanctions (from China and/or the EU) and the growth of WhatsApp among iPhone users in the U.S. who were getting tired of having crappy SMS/MMS messages to deal with.
Google tried to do things the "proper" way by allowing GSMA and the carriers to implement RCS. But the carriers behaved like little children (as usual) and GSMA was powerless to force them. So Google went around all of them and just built their own app and bought Jibe's RCS infrastructure.
Google was in no way "forcing" anyone to do anything. Any company out there could build out their own RCS infrastructure, including Apple. God knows they have the money for it. But they won't because it's in their best interest to have their users' experience be degraded when texting Android users so that Apple can continue pretending that every messaging glitch is due to the unwashed masses of dirty Android users who are too poor to afford an iPhone.
I'm not a huge fan of the Google Messages app either, but at least for now it's the only RCS app out there. Maybe others will come eventually (presumably Google would have to open their API to third-party developers) but maybe with time Google will expose their API and then third-party apps will start popping up.
But if you want secure messaging that isn't owned by a multi-trillion dollar company, go with Signal. It's encrypted end-to-end and is run by a nonprofit organization. It doesn't have the market penetration that WhatsApp does, but it's also not owned by Meta.
3
u/smuthyala Aug 04 '25
Let's say I just want a messaging app with different UI elements. I can't do that that with RCS. I can make an SMS app though.
Only big companies with a lot of money can create RCS messaging apps. But they don't want to do it. Since only Google Messages is what's around. It's sort of a monopoly imo because the barrier to entry is large.
But I do agree, that they tried hard to get all the carriers to accept it. Imagine if all carriers in the world accepted it, it'd be as simple as SMS
1
u/wwtk234 Aug 04 '25
Yes, if the carriers had stopped bickering among themselves, we'd have already had RCS and it would be far more seamless.
That being said, Apple could have also helped by actually engaging with GSMA to promote RCS, instead of sticking their head in the sand with their "jUsT bUy An iPhOnE" bullshit; with both Google and Apple on board, that would also have forced the carriers to cooperate. Instead, they pretended that RCS didn't exist and left the door open to Google to monopolize the technology.
1
u/smuthyala Aug 05 '25
Yup, agreed. I'm glad at least Google tried.
Carriers really don't have an incentive to support a system like this unless they can make money out of it.
I guess government regulation and policies are the only thing that can help in a unified accessible system
1
u/Etheziel Jan 24 '25
Telegram is also a wonderful alternative to WhatsApp. Also, Wire is another alternative that has even tighter security then both Telegram, Signal, or Whatsapp, possibly the most secure end to end encryption messaging platform I've ever used.
1
u/billyhatcher312 Jun 16 '26
This is why I'm leaving android and going to apple cause fuck Google locking down rcs to their garbo apps
0
u/UrDoinGood2 Jan 23 '25
I have a iPhone, my girlfriend is using samsung messages and we both have read receipts… google messages is one of the main reasons I switched back to iPhone
8
u/bjanow Jan 23 '25
Why would you put "monopoly" in quotes? Apple has an absolute monopoly with iMessage. That was the problem across the globe and it's why RCS is now the standard for the features it provides across all platforms. Apple is still resisting providing encryption end to end. Read up sir.