'It's Time for Apple to Fix Texting' Says New Android Website Pushing RCS Messaging Technology

Google's Android team today launched a new "Get the Message" website that again calls on Apple to adopt Rich Communication Services or RCS for the Messages app. Google has been pushing Apple to adopt ‌RCS‌ for months now, with no response from Apple.

android apple fix rcs
‌RCS‌ is designed to replace the current SMS messaging standard. It offers support for higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, bigger file sizes, improved encryption, emoji reactions, more reliable group chats, and more.

The "Get the Message" website is aimed at addressing the "green/blue bubbles" issue between iPhone and Android users along with problems in cross-platform messaging such as low quality photos and videos, issues with group chat, end-to-end encryption, read receipts, and typing indicators, pointing out that these issues could be addressed if Apple adopted ‌RCS‌. "It's time for Apple to fix texting," reads the website.

It's not about the color of the bubbles. It's the tiny photos and videos, no texting over wifi and no read receipts. Apple creates these problems when we text each other from iPhones and Android phones, but does nothing to fix it.

The website says that iPhones downgrade photos and videos from Android users, prevent people from leaving group chats with Android users, stop ‌iPhone‌ users from texting Android phones over WiFi, make messages from Android users difficult to read, and leave messages between iOS and Android users unencrypted. The site encourages people to help Apple get the message through tweets, plus it highlights news articles about Android/‌iPhone‌ communications.

Alongside the website, the Android team has also provided a blog post that explains the how Rich Communication Services works and why text conversations between ‌iPhone‌ and Android users sometimes experience issues. The blog post says that group chats "feel outdated" because iPhones are still using SMS and MMS for conversations.

iPhones still rely on SMS and MMS for conversations with Android users, which is why your group chats feel so outdated. Think of it like this: If you have two groups of people who use different spoken languages, they can communicate effectively in their respective languages to other people who speak their language, but they can't talk to each other. And when they try to talk to one another, they have to act out what they're saying, as though they're playing charades. Now think of RCS as a magic translator that helps multiple groups speak fluently -- but every group has to use the translator, and if one doesn't, they're each going to need to use motions again.

‌RCS‌ could "connect all smartphone users" and bring a "secure, modern messaging experience" to everyone," according to Google's blog post. The article echos several prior Google attempts to get Apple to acknowledge ‌RCS‌, all of which have been unsuccessful.

As of mid-2021, Google and all major carriers have swapped over to RCS, but Google has not been able to convince Apple to adopt the standard. Senior vice president of Android Hiroshi Lockheimer has been tweeting about ‌RCS‌ and Apple's lack of support for months now, and Google has even resorted to sarcastic explainer videos.

There continues to be no word on when Apple might adopt Rich Communication Services, nor information on whether Apple is considering it.

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Will Reportedly Be More Cautious About Announcing New Features Well in Advance

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:50 pm PDT by
Apple plans to mostly stop announcing new features more than a few months before they are ready to launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. The pair of reporters revealed this noteworthy tidbit towards the bottom of a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today. This alleged change in strategy comes after Apple was forced to delay its more...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...

Top Rated Comments

SW3029 Avatar
36 months ago
It's time for RCS to be end-to-end encrypted.
Score: 82 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darngooddesign Avatar
36 months ago
Translation:

We're tired of being green bubbles.
Score: 67 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kc9hzn Avatar
36 months ago
But seriously, maybe Google should stop breaking texting on Android every year or two. And RCS is a total non-starter in most of the world because it’s not an over-the-top service, your features are limited to what your cell phone companies give you. Imagine not having the full texting experience because you are on a prepaid plan instead of a contract plan, for instance.
Score: 66 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DaPizzaMan Avatar
36 months ago

This sounds like whining. Why doesn't Google just adopt iMessage instead?
This is as close as they can get to iMessage. How are they supposed to "adopt iMessage"?
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
36 months ago
This would be probably the best thing added to iMessages in years. Green bubbles is a bad experience for people with Android, but also people with iPhones. It's just awful to manage a group chat with Android people in there. And no, I will not be obnoxious enough to block or ignore people with Android, as some hardcore apple fans suggested here in the past.

Everybody wins with RCS support, and I sure do hope that Apple will implement it soon.
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheLinkster Avatar
36 months ago
And what data does google collect on those messages, I wonder?
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)