After Hangouts, Chat, Meet, Duo, Voice… Google is finally launching an anti-iMessage campaign


Mathieu Grumiaux

August 10, 2022 at 10:50 a.m.

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Google Apple Messages © © Google

©Google

The search engine is launching a web campaign to convince Apple to adopt the RCS standard in iMessage.

The squabble between green bubbles and blue bubbles is starting to tire Android users as well as Google, which wants Apple to open up its instant messaging more.

Closing iMessage to Android users no longer happens

Since its launch, iMessage has been a proprietary service that only works between Apple-branded devices, and Android users sending messages see their missives arrive in the form of an ordinary SMS, with all the technical limitations that entails.

Google has however massively pushed RCS, a new standard designed to replace SMS. The latter supports the sending of multimedia files as well as group conversations, and many manufacturers and operators have adopted it for a few years now.

Apple however refuses to adopt it, claiming that this new standard is not secure enough and does not guarantee the confidentiality of exchanges. The other, unofficial reason is that a closed platform like iMessage keeps users captive and encourages them to renew their iPhone with a new model rather than switching to the competition.

Google wants Apple to support RCS and relies on its community to make its competitor bend

Google therefore decided to tackle the subject head-on and launched a website called “ Get the Message listing all the advantages of the RCS, such as the possibility of sharing photos and videos in high quality, of creating group conversations or even the encryption of communications, which SMS and MMS do not offer. You can also find testimonials from Android users frustrated by the situation as well as carefully selected press articles.

The Web giant also wants to put its community to work and has stuffed the page with sharing buttons to post tweets on its Twitter account, with a mention to Apple to pass on the message. The search engine thus hopes to bend its competitor by playing on the mass effect.

Not sure that Apple is receptive to this communication action. Things could nevertheless get better in a few years with the application of the European DMA, a set of binding rules that govern digital platforms. The new legislative arsenal specifically addresses the subject of instant messaging and will soon require the various platforms to be interoperable.

If Google fails to appease Apple, Europe may succeed by using force.

Source : Get the message



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