# It’s Not Even What Google Requested: The RCS Quandary Between Apple and Google
For years, **Google** has expressed its wish for **Apple** to integrate **RCS (Rich Communication Services)** within its iMessage service. RCS is an advanced messaging protocol that provides features such as high-quality media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators, and more—essentially making text messaging akin to the experiences offered by applications like **WhatsApp** or **Facebook Messenger**. Google’s initiative, named **”Get the Message,”** aimed to compel Apple to embrace RCS, particularly to enhance communication between Android and iPhone users.
Now, with the introduction of **iOS 18**, Apple has finally incorporated RCS support. However, as the saying goes, “be careful what you wish for.” While it may appear that Google got its way, the truth is more nuanced. In fact, **Google didn’t receive precisely what it requested**, and the execution of RCS on iPhones has its flaws.
## The RCS Puzzle: What’s Lacking?
Two major concerns arise with Apple’s RCS implementation:
1. **Absence of End-to-End Encryption**: One of the fundamental features Google has highlighted with its RCS rollout is **end-to-end encryption** (E2EE), ensuring that only the message sender and recipient can access the messages. However, Apple’s rendition of RCS lacks this encryption. While messages are encrypted during transmission (which is typical for most online communication), they are not encrypted end-to-end, making them susceptible to interception.
2. **No Cooperation with Google**: Google has integrated end-to-end encryption into its RCS offering, but Apple has not collaborated with Google to activate this feature universally. This implies that while RCS messages between Android devices are encrypted, messages from Android to iPhone are not. Apple’s choice to refrain from working with Google on this aspect creates a notable security gap for users communicating across platforms.
## What Prompted Apple to Incorporate RCS?
Interestingly, Apple’s choice to add RCS support likely has minimal relation to Google’s advocacy. Instead, it seems to be influenced by **regulatory pressure from China**. China, which represents roughly **20% of Apple’s total sales**, is poised to mandate that all 5G-capable phones support the RCS standard as a condition for regulatory approval. Apple cannot afford to lose such a vital market, thus it complied with China’s demands by introducing RCS support in iOS 18.
This indicates that Apple’s move to adopt RCS was more about **business strategy** than a genuine intention to enhance user experience or heed Google’s appeals. In fact, Apple has displayed little interest in rendering RCS a smooth or secure experience for its users, particularly regarding cross-platform communication.
## What Is RCS, and Why Is It Important?
For those not familiar with RCS, it serves as a modernized iteration of SMS (Short Message Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). RCS presents several significant enhancements over conventional text messaging, such as:
– **High-resolution photo and video sharing**: No more blurry, pixelated visuals.
– **Typing indicators**: You can observe when the other party is typing.
– **Read receipts**: You’ll be informed when your message has been seen.
– **Rich media support**: Stickers, GIFs, and other media can be sent without conversion to an outdated MMS format.
If you’ve ever messaged between two iPhones or two Android devices, you’ve likely encountered these features already. However, when messaging from an iPhone to an Android phone, these features were previously non-existent, resulting in an inadequate experience. With the RCS support in iOS 18, that gap has been lessened, but it remains imperfect due to the absence of end-to-end encryption.
## Why Is Google Concerned About RCS?
Google has been advocating for RCS adoption for several reasons:
1. **Enhanced User Experience**: Google aims to ensure that Android users enjoy a rich messaging experience, even when texting iPhone users. In the absence of RCS, messages from Android to iPhone default to SMS/MMS, which lacks modern capabilities and can lead to a frustrating experience.
2. **Security**: Google has stressed the significance of end-to-end encryption in messaging, arguing that Apple’s reluctance to adopt RCS with encryption diminishes the security of cross-platform messaging. Google has presented this as a **privacy concern**, accusing Apple of creating an “unsafe” messaging environment by not supporting encrypted RCS.
3. **Competition**: Messaging is a crucial battleground in the smartphone competition. Apple’s **iMessage** has long served as a potent tool for locking users into the iOS ecosystem, thanks to its smooth integration and exclusive functionalities. By advocating for RCS, Google is striving to level the
