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It’s not that it’s active shunning, things just evolved here into two systems (RCS and iMessage) and a lowest common denominator (SMS) they both fall back to au

by MBCook 3y ago

It’s not that it’s active shunning, things just evolved here into two systems (RCS and iMessage) and a lowest common denominator (SMS) they both fall back to automatically. So there is VERY little friction. You can message anyone easily without downloading anything, though the experience varies. So the idea of downloading an additional app for certain people is kind of odd. If you live somewhere everyone uses WeChat, you download that once when you setup your phone and you’re done. If everyone uses a mix then you’re used to swapping between apps. A lot of Americans aren’t, historically it hasn’t been needed by a lot of people who only communicate with other Americans.

Erratic6576 3y ago
[dead]
lol768 3y ago
It's bizarre though; despite the apparent lack of friction I don't know anyone who uses RCS or SMS (and frankly I'm unimpressed by its design - why involve carriers at all? Your mobile network should be dumb and provide you with a simple, neutral, fast and unmetered TCP/IP connection. RCS also launched without E2E encryption. Frankly the whole protocol seems like garbage to me and nobody in the UK cares about it, there are countless messaging apps to choose from that architected this properly, that are unrelated to your mobile carrier).
- MBCook 3y ago
  I’ve always had an iPhone, so I can’t speak to RCS with a lot of authority. I assume the path was like iMessage. People used the default messaging app which used SMS. One day it got an upgrade and just started using RCS if the other person was providing a better experience. It wasn’t an active choice to switch to it, just the power of defaults. I guarantee you that no normal person knows what RCS is by name. At most they would know that sending messages to iPhones is somehow “different“ and it doesn’t work as well (SMS fallback). Also sort of makes me wonder if the “open iMessage” stuff will all be sort of a tempest in a teapot within a year or so. Once iPhones get RCS I wonder if people will care that much outside of ideological reasons.

by MBCook 3y ago

Erratic6576 3y ago

[dead]

lol768 3y ago

It's bizarre though; despite the apparent lack of friction I don't know anyone who uses RCS or SMS (and frankly I'm unimpressed by its design - why involve carriers at all? Your mobile network should be dumb and provide you with a simple, neutral, fast and unmetered TCP/IP connection. RCS also launched without E2E encryption. Frankly the whole protocol seems like garbage to me and nobody in the UK cares about it, there are countless messaging apps to choose from that architected this properly, that are unrelated to your mobile carrier).

MBCook 3y ago
I’ve always had an iPhone, so I can’t speak to RCS with a lot of authority. I assume the path was like iMessage. People used the default messaging app which used SMS. One day it got an upgrade and just started using RCS if the other person was providing a better experience. It wasn’t an active choice to switch to it, just the power of defaults. I guarantee you that no normal person knows what RCS is by name. At most they would know that sending messages to iPhones is somehow “different“ and it doesn’t work as well (SMS fallback). Also sort of makes me wonder if the “open iMessage” stuff will all be sort of a tempest in a teapot within a year or so. Once iPhones get RCS I wonder if people will care that much outside of ideological reasons.