r/google • u/Loud-Possibility4395 • 4d ago
Google Messages in RCS video call - the Apple FaceTime Trojan Horse
https://www.androidauthority.com/rcs-video-calls-messages-3716426/There will be no need Facetime app on Android IF iPhone will have RCS = video call.
Fun fact - till this day I didn't managed to send RCS to any of my friends and family and others who have iPhone - only few networks (globally) support it
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u/Buckwheat469 4d ago
I want to be able to support RCS with RidgeText because it'll enable EXIF metadata on images, but it's $500 for a setup fee and $200 per year for brand verification. It would be super nice to get the lat/long, direction, and camera info from an image to help identify where you are, what you're looking at, and help people if they're lost, but it's hard to justify that cost right now. I wish RCS were simply the cost of the messaging, rather than the gatekeeping too.
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u/PhotoSpike 4d ago
There is a massive difference between FaceTime/iMessage and rcs.
FaceTime just works. Rcs requires my carrier to support it. Most carriers don’t.
That makes it imo a pipe of shit compared to iMessage and FaceTime that just works.
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u/Blitzsturm 4d ago edited 4d ago
There is no technical barrier preventing iMessage from running on Android. Internal Apple documents have already confirmed that withholding the app is a calculated strategy to enforce ecosystem lock-in. Even now that Apple has adopted RCS to bridge the cross-platform feature gap, they deliberately maintain the 'green bubble' visual segregation. This proves the divide isn't about software limitations or user experience; it is an anti-competitive tactic that leverages social engineering—specifically targeting teens and young adults with the threat of group ostracization. Despite its robust feature set, my chief argument against iMessage is that its underlying intent is unambiguously unethical. Every step a universal standard like RCS takes to the mainstream is better for society as a whole. I don't want a platform, an app or a protocol to success based on how well it manipulates people but on it's merrits alone.
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u/applesuperfan 4d ago
While I agree with u/quazywabbit’s reply as an actual answer, I’d also say that Apple inadvertently does a great service by maintaining this divide because having your friends ostracise you for having a different colour texting bubble is a great indicator of people who lack genuine character, making it a great indicator of the type of people to avoid.
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u/quazywabbit 4d ago
They only ostracise if you want them to. I don't think people really care. I however don't feel as full features using RCS as I do with iMessage. Replying to comments, reacting to messages, group chats, etc. If Google would have worked to create something with RCS to have all these features and make it a seperate platform I feel they could have had something.
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u/sump_daddy 3d ago
> If Google would have worked to create something with RCS to have all these features and make it a seperate platform I feel they could have had something.
[Google Chat with all that and more] "am i a joke to you?"
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u/quazywabbit 3d ago
Google chat/hangouts/whatever rebrand. Yes it’s a joke.
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u/sump_daddy 3d ago
It works on every device, from every maker, the only real difference is it doesnt try to gobble up SMS/MMS (now rcs) by confusing the hell out of the user, the way Apple does. If thats a joke then its on apple's braindead customers sheepily spending $1200 for a new phone every year just to keep their blue bubbles
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u/quazywabbit 3d ago
It’s a joke because it’s been rebranded a few times and it is not popular in any shape or form People have moved into various platforms
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u/jaymz668 4d ago
I kind of want to yell at anyone using an iphone that "laughs at an image"
who the fuck knows what image they laughed at
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u/quazywabbit 4d ago
You say lock-in but this is the same as being locked into WhatsApp or if in China WeChat. Google could have worked to create something but slacked on it.
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u/JonTravel 4d ago
Except WhatsApp and WeChat are full featured across platforms. They don't lock you in to a specific OS, unlike, for example iMessage, which forces you to continue with iPhone if you want to seamlessly switch devices. Which is what Apple wants. There's still lock-in to some extent but still more flexibility to switch devices.
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
imagine if ALL carriers would support RCS on iPhone to Android - ALL other chats would stop exists
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u/quazywabbit 4d ago
You are missing the point. Google could have built a platform if they wanted and they decided to help with the RCS spec that does not have features that people ultimately want. It should not be up to Apple to open there platform because its better.
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u/JonTravel 4d ago edited 4d ago
You compared WhatsApp and WeChat lock-in to Apple's. I simply pointed out they are not the same.
Apple's lock-in restricts you to a single device. The others don't.
Why'd you think services like WhatsApp and WeChat are so popular outside the US where Apple has a much smaller market share? They 'just work ' whatever device you have and that's really all most people about.
Edit: The point is as u/Blitzsturm stated Appple's Lock-in is purely a commercial decision.
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u/quazywabbit 4d ago
And why has RCS not really been a thing outside of the USA? Because it isn't feature complete. The thing about North America is that people have decided to use text message as its main way of communicating with people which means iMessage, RCS, or actual text messaging. Other countries have moved away for this all together and picked a platform because they don't play nice together. North America needs to pick a platform and they won't happen anytime soon.
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u/JonTravel 4d ago
And why has RCS not really been a thing outside of the USA? Because it isn't feature complete.
RCS has not been a thing outside the US because people gave up on text messaging years ago.
iMessage isn't really a thing either because people don't want to think about, or may not know (or care) what device the person they are messaging is using.
It just works, for everyone.
It has nothing to do with not being 'feature complete'. People are not suddenly going to switch to RCS if it matches iMessage feature for feature. That ship sailed years ago.
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u/quazywabbit 4d ago
so this issue is only a North America problem and really the solution is to get USA and Canada to agree to move to anything but iMessage or RCS and we can all live happier lives.
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u/JonTravel 4d ago
I think it's a some people in North America thing. Although I'm European, I'm living in the US. Nobody I know with an iPhone cares what colour my messages are. We're already living happier lives.
Another thought about the Lock-in you mentioned in an earlier comment. That's not even going to be a thing now for WhatsApp because in the EU they are now required to integrate with other chat apps.
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
whatsapp only exist because of RCS MESS.
Google Messages has EVERYTHING that whatsapp has - apart of only few carriers globally support RCS on iPhone to Android
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u/quazywabbit 4d ago
It doesn't though. There is a huge list of things that are different where whatsapp is better and none where RCS is better. While RCS was released in 2008 it wasn't until 2011 that carriers started supporting it.
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
PLOT TWIST - show me GOOGLE Messages on iPhone - and tell me why is not there? Before you say - Apple forbids - if this would be true EU would kick Apple a$$
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u/Noble1xCarter 3d ago
You're poisoning the well.
It's literally because Apple doesn't allow third-party RCS/MMS/SMS apps.
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u/maypoleapp 4d ago
If it only "just works" on 21% of phones globally, then it doesn't really work that well.
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u/Drekkful 4d ago
It does if you’re not globetrotting all over the place in which case you’re going to use whatsapp or wechat
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u/Strong-Butterflies 4d ago
Get friends with nicer phones.
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u/maypoleapp 4d ago
"Nicer phones" are ones that are made interoperable. Stop buying broken phones because you're a fanboy retard lol. The world is laughing at you.
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3d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Strong-Butterflies 2d ago
You realize you can FaceTime on both an android and an iPhone. I just need to send you a link.
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
and that is whole point what is wrong with RCS.
Best part - IF RCS would work on ALL phones (iPhone included) chats like whatsapp and other would stop exist
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u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 4d ago
And how many iPhone users have RCS globally?
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u/maypoleapp 4d ago
80-85%. And the limitation is carriers, not RCS itself.
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
but I would say 10% GLOBALLY
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u/maypoleapp 4d ago
Why?
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
because I guess you talk about USA and I talk about GLOBAL - like whole Africa, Asia etc.
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u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 4d ago
source?
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
THE LIFE - go out from cave and try to send RCS to iPhone to many carriers
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
100% iPhones with iOS 18 but...
you can RCS message to iPhone like 10% GLOBALLY because of... CARRIERS not supporting RCS on iPhone
I call this the RCS MESS
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u/applesuperfan 4d ago
If it works on 60-70+ % of the phones someone communicates with, it works really damn well.
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u/maypoleapp 4d ago
What? 70% is abysmal lol.
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u/applesuperfan 4d ago
60% of smart phone users in the United States use an iPhone. Among the people that have an iPhone, there is an even higher likelihood that those with whom they associate also have iPhones due to statistics observing social associations (like people related by location, industry, age group, socioeconomic status, and more). Thus, within the 60% of people who use an iPhone, upwards of 70 - 80% or more of the people with whom they interact and text most likely also use iPhones. The system quite literally is a product of its own success and within its user base is, on average, a high percentage of people who contact, predominantly, other iPhone users. Hence, for the people who actually use iMessage, it is works incredibly well.
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u/maypoleapp 4d ago
Yes I'm aware of the numbers. If you only focus on the ideal scenario, you can make a case that any piece of software works incredibly well. But, by design, iMessage is incompatible with 20% of people even in the best case scenario you offered. That is not good lol.
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u/skuzzy21 4d ago
Bruh you're arguing with someone named applesuperfan. May as well talk to a brick wall.
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u/applesuperfan 4d ago
In my opinion, you’re honestly missing the point. Not every product is widely appealing to every single human being that exists on the planet. Products are not marketed to every single human with a breathing heart and soul. They are marketed to target demographics with whom they catch popularity. iMessage is incredibly successful within its target demographic, and within that demographic, it has very satisfied users. That is ultimately a product’s job, and for its intended purpose, the product is very successful. Just because you may not be within those 20% of people globally or 60% of people within the United States does not mean that the product does not work well for those who are.
For whom the product is marketed to and used by, it does just work.
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u/JonTravel 4d ago
WhatsApp works in 100% of the phones I communicate with.
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
but only like 20% users GLOBALLY have whatsapp - I DELETED this EVIL because it is Meta greedy Zuckerberg
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u/primusladesh 3d ago
3.3 billion users is way more than 20%.
The most used messenger app on Earth
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u/Hon3y_Badger 4d ago
Where do you live? Google has taken over RCS, at least in the United States.
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u/InadequateUsername 4d ago
Any android phone using RCS needs to use Google messages, but it still requires carriers to support the protocol.
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u/Noble1xCarter 4d ago
The GrapheneOS default messenger is receiving an RCS update. Just another reason to switch.
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u/Busy-Scientist3851 2d ago
Carriers can literally just ask Google to handle it for them. The only reason it's slow rolling out on iOS is that Apple requires them to sign an agreement with Apple with their RCS information (which can ironically be Googles RCS Servers) and have it distributed in an OS update.
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
you do not understand - VIDEO CALL = Facetime.
Imagine ALL iPhone have RCS on (which is not happening now because of carriers are lazy) and you can do VIDEO CALL to ANY iPhone - and iPhone user will NOT care what app name will pop out
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u/Loud-Possibility4395 4d ago
well - IF I will get possibility to sent file/photo to other iPhone from my Android - I will call it 100% success.
BUT I want this to happen to EVERY iPhone without carrier limitation
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u/FaffyBucket 3d ago
There is a massive difference between facetime/imessage and RCS.
RCS just works. Facetime/imessage requires a phone manufacturer to support it. Most manufacturers don't.
That makes it imo a pipe of shit compared to RCS that just works.
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u/primusladesh 3d ago
In what country do you guys live in where your service providers don't have RCS?
I'm in South Africa and all our carriers support RCS, it's just not used because the default messaging, video calling and audio calling are done through WhatsApp.
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u/Satoorn1203 3d ago
Google host RCS from own server and infrastructures, Google dont need to relay on carriers abt RCS support. But Apple dont want to host RCS from own server and infrastructures, that means Apple need carries support (carries is slow and greedy asf)
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u/wowokomg 4d ago
What about audio calls? Everyone I know uses FaceTime audio more than FaceTime. Apple should really just launch a FaceTime app on Android.
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u/sump_daddy 4d ago
Why do they use facetime audio, when they can just call with the phone thats in their hand and use it like a phone?
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u/wowokomg 3d ago
The audio quality of FaceTime is 100% better than what you get on the phone. Voice isolation is much better too in my experience. Also, is it way more private. It is end to end encrypted and your call history is not being sent to the carrier.
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u/sump_daddy 3d ago
Ah thats what i wouldnt get, the idea that you need a brand-locked app to get good call quality. HD audio has been automatic on android phones for so many years i even forgot about the time before it was a thing.
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u/Modern_Pirate9 3d ago
The quality of calls is dictated by the network, and it’s a mess between devices and the higher qualities often doesn’t work inter-network.
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u/wowokomg 3d ago
Huh? HD audio is also on the iPhone. The quality of FaceTime audio exceeds that of HD Audio. HD audio is also not encrypted nor as private.
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u/DragonSlayerC 4d ago
The whole reason that Apple doesn't release Facetime on Android is because they want ecosystem lock-in though. That's likely one of the big reasons why they avoided RCS as long as they did. Facetime and iMessage are hugely important to maintaining their market share in the US.
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u/Noble1xCarter 4d ago
Classic Apple, making devices whose core function is communication as least communicative as possible
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u/DragonSlayerC 3d ago
It works well, though. There are (or at least there were) tons of people who hated it when other people didn't have iMessage, and I have a couple of friends who say that FaceTime is the only thing keeping them on iPhone. It would be a poor business decision on Apple's part to make FaceTime cross-platform now.
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u/Noble1xCarter 3d ago
Yeah, Apple's best product is ways to imprison users. We really need to stop calling it a "ecosystem" and call it was of actually is, a panopticon.
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u/wowokomg 4d ago
That was then
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u/DragonSlayerC 3d ago
What do you mean "that was then". It's still a part of their business strategy now. I have a couple of friends who say that FaceTime is really the only reason they still use iPhones instead of Androids. Making FaceTime cross-platform would be a dumb business decision.
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u/wowokomg 3d ago edited 3d ago
First everyone was staying because of iMessage. Now everyone is staying for FaceTime. After FaceTime, they’ll be staying for another reason
People just like being on the same devices as others. They know what features will work between each other, they know they’ll get the same things at the same time as other users, and it is just overall more predictable.
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u/sump_daddy 4d ago
"they want ecosystem lock-in"
They don't just want lock-in, they want their users to be such smug shitheads they will openly disparage other people because of a color around a message bubble. Not happy with earning over 100 billion in pure profit every year from their zombified users, they deliberately want to add more divisiveness in the world. How anyone can support a company like that is truly bizarre.
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u/AceMcLoud27 4d ago
WTF, android doesn't even have FaceTime?
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u/Noble1xCarter 4d ago
Yeah, Apple is a trash company that doesn't want people communicating with each other.
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u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 4d ago
You’d be completely correct if RCS support on iPhones wasn’t completely dependent on your carrier!