Google Executive Wants to Help Apple Make Texts Between Android and iPhone Users More Secure

A Google executive is extending an open hand to help Apple adopt RCS, a new communication protocol called Rich Communication Services to iPhone and iPad, that would replace standard SMS and offer improved cross-platform messaging capabilities.

General Apps Messages
In a tweet, Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google's senior vice president of Android, said that "group chats don't need to break this way," referring to a sub-tweet about the inconvenience Android and ‌iPhone‌ users have in communicating via messages. Alluding to the ‌RCS‌ protocol, Lockheimer goes on to state there is a "Really Clear Solution" and that he is offering an "open invitation to the folks who can make this right," with the "folks" in question being a reference to Apple.

Google has been rolling out ‌RCS‌ for the past several years, and in July, all three major carriers in the U.S. pledged to adopt RCS, which, compared to SMS, offers support for higher quality photos and videos, audio messages, improved security, and better group chats.

With ‌RCS‌, Android to Android messaging communication will become fully end-to-end encrypted. In contrast, Android to ‌iPhone‌ communication often referred to as the "green bubble," will be less secure due to Apple's unwillingness to adopt ‌RCS‌.

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...
11th gen ipad blue

Apple to Launch New Low-Cost 11-Inch iPad in the Spring

Friday July 11, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
Apple will launch a new 12th generation entry-level iPad in the spring of next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is said to have two versions of the entry-level 11-inch iPad in development, codenamed J581 and J582. These could refer to different storage capacities – in which case, Apple may be planning to drop the existing lowest capacity option. The current iPad 11 is...

Top Rated Comments

xxray Avatar
49 months ago
Use Signal
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
@Brett Avatar
49 months ago

Perhaps Apple could develop RCS support using some of the $11 Billion Google pays privacy-minded Apple every year to put its corporate fingers in its ears and pretend Google isn't monetizing Apple's users search queries.
They may pay Apple to be default but I am sure there are Apple users like me who quickly change that to something like Duck Duck Go.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SpringKid Avatar
49 months ago

In Europe, WhatsApp is standard. It's not ideal (Facebook owned), but at least its available on every phone.
As a fellow European, I'm not entirely sure I believe this, unless you have some statistics to back it up with?

I've never used WhatsApp, by the way.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BootsWalking Avatar
49 months ago
Perhaps Apple could develop RCS support using some of the $11 Billion Google pays privacy-minded Apple every year to look the other way and pretend Google isn't monetizing Apple users' privacy.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IsaacM Avatar
49 months ago
Americans seem to use "blue chat bubbles" as some sort of class differentiator and a bragging right, so Apple will hold onto that selling point for the foreseeable future.

In Europe, WhatsApp is standard. It's not ideal (Facebook owned), but at least its available on every phone.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jecowa Avatar
49 months ago
I'm only just hearing of RSC, and i don't know anything about it except that i definitely want it on my next phone. SMS is super old. An upgrade sounds great.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)