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Is Google Right About iMessage?
Texting is broken according to the search giant, and Apple is the company at fault and the only one that can fix it. But will they?
One of the longest-running jokes in the tech community revolves around Google and its need to release a new messaging app. The joke stems from the search giants’ constant release and discontinuing of multiple messaging apps to try and compete with iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. But it seems that these days they have settled on RCS (Rich Communication Services) being the messaging app to rule them all.
But Google has a problem when it comes to the adoption of RCS as the successor to SMS that it envisions. That problem is Apple, more specifically iMessage. Particularly in markets like the United States where the iPhone dominates half the smartphone market, not having RCS on the iPhone is detrimental, to say the least. So as a result, Google has started to wage multiple PR and marketing campaigns urging Apple to adopt RCS and why iMessage is incredibly anti-competitive. Normally, I would look at this as corporate jostling but it has made me wonder if Google has a point.