Easier chats between iOS and Android in future
After much hesitation, Apple will facilitate chat communication between its iPhone and phones with Google's Android operating system. Support for the SMS successor standard RCS is to be added next year, as Apple announced.
Currently, iPhone users can communicate with each other via Apple's own chat system iMessage, while conversations with Android users take place in the same messaging app via SMS. You can tell the difference by the color of the speech bubbles: blue for iMessage, green for SMS.
Apple has so far refused to support RCS. This triggered criticism from Google, among others, and according to industry circles, the Internet company has not ruled out the possibility of lodging a complaint with the EU. Apple's U-turn could also be a response to the requirements of the new EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), which stipulates greater openness of platforms.
The Android camp criticized, among other things, that the exclusivity of iMessage was a competitive factor that would make it difficult to leave the iPhone, as users did not want to lose their familiar chat environment. Also, only iMessage users can join groups with several people in Apple's messaging app. For smooth chat communication between iPhones and Android phones, many users therefore turn to cross-platform apps such as WhatsApp from the Facebook group Meta.
- Apple's decision to integrate RCS support in iOS could revolutionize telecommunications, allowing smoother chat communication between iPhones and Android devices using this standard.
- With Apple embracing Google's RCS standard, the future of telecommunications may see fewer reliance on cross-platform apps like WhatsApp for chat communication between iOS and Android users.
- The implementation of RCS in Apple's messaging system could potentially reduce the barrier for Android users to switch to an iPhone, as they would no longer have to leave their familiar chat environment.
- As Apple and Google move forward with RCS support, major tech companies like Google and Apple, whose operating systems power most smartphones, could significantly impact the telecommunications landscape through enhanced chat capabilities.
Source: www.dpa.com
