Google is kicking disconnected a caller publicity run contiguous to unit Apple into adopting RCS, the cross-platform messaging protocol that’s meant to beryllium a successor to the aging SMS and MMS standards.

The hunt elephantine has a caller “Get The Message” website that lays retired a acquainted acceptable of arguments for wherefore Apple should enactment the standard, revolving astir smoother messaging betwixt iPhone and Android devices. Naturally, there’s besides a #GetTheMessage hashtag to truly get those viral juices flowing.

For astir people, the problems Google describes are astir acquainted successful the signifier of the greenish bubbles that signify messages to Android users successful Apple’s Messages app. While the iPhone app uses Apple’s ain iMessage work to nonstop texts betwixt iPhones (complete with modern features similar encryption, enactment for radical chats, and high-quality representation and video transfers), they revert to old-fashioned SMS and MMS erstwhile texting an Android user. Not lone are these messages shown successful a color-clashing greenish bubble but besides they interruption galore of the modern messaging features radical person travel to trust on.

To hole this, Google has been dropping a bid of not-so-subtle hints successful caller months for Apple to enactment RCS, which offers astir (though not all) of the features of iMessage successful a protocol that’s usable crossed some iOS and Android. The institution said it hoped “every mobile operating system… upgrades to RCS” onstage at its yearly developer league this year arsenic good arsenic successful various tweets implicit the months.

The iPhone shaper has everything to summation from the existent situation, which has a lock-in effect for customers. It provides seamless connection (but lone betwixt iMessage users) and turns Android’s greenish bubbles into subtle people markers. It’s wherefore Apple execs admitted successful interior emails that bringing iMessage to Android would “hurt [Apple] much than assistance us.”

Google’s arguments for RCS haven’t been helped by the standard’s sluggish and piecemeal rollout, which was initially reliant connected carriers to adhd support. But the concern has improved since Google efficaciously took complaint successful 2019, meaning that RCS is present easy disposable astir everyplace worldwide. This twelvemonth adjacent saw the world’s largest Android manufacturer, Samsung, switch to utilizing Google’s ain RCS-compatible Messages app by default successful its flagship Galaxy S22 range.

RCS has besides dilatory been gaining diagnostic parity with iMessage’s encryption. It present supports end-to-end encryption (E2EE) successful one-on-one chats, and E2EE successful radical chats is owed aboriginal this year.

So, volition Google’s caller publicity run yet beryllium the happening that pushes Apple to spot the airy and rotation retired RCS enactment connected its phones? Given the immense incentives Apple has for not playing ball, I person to accidental the hunt giant’s chances don’t look good. At this point, Apple adopting RCS feels astir arsenic apt arsenic the US collectively ditching iMessage and moving to an encrypted cross-platform messaging work similar WhatsApp oregon Signal.