5 ms·

Blame the telcos for the relative poor quality of text message multimedia (via MMS). The telcos specify the size limits of MMS messages. iMessage has much high

by canucker2016 2y ago

Blame the telcos for the relative poor quality of text message multimedia (via MMS). The telcos specify the size limits of MMS messages. iMessage has much higher limits in most cases, so iPhone has to use reduce the quality of the pics/videos to reach the lower size limits for sending to non-iMessage recipients. For the telcos, why would they upgrade their size limits for MMS - it's just a cost centre for them. They probably make more by selling more iPhones as well.

cglong 2y ago
I'll blame Apple for dragging their feet on RCS as long as they possibly could
- Schiendelman 2y ago
  Honestly, having used it now, I don't think they should have implemented it at all. It's terrible, unpredictable, breaks when changing networks…
paranoidrobot 2y ago
Sorry, but the issue is not the standards for SMS/MMS. Yes, they're old standards, and have size limitations. It's entirely up to Apple whether to make their iMessage platform available on other platforms. They've shown they're quite invested in keeping it to running on Apple hardware only by going after and blocking any 3rd party attempt to provide iMessage compatible clients.
NoPicklez 2y ago
I'm an Apple guy and I have to disagree, it's not the Telco's. Android implemented RCS and Apple dragged their feet in implementing the standardised platform such that high quality messaging was seamless and agnostic between brands The iPhone needed to reduce the quality of pics/videos to non-iMessage recipients because Apple didn't support any other form of non-iMessage messaging.
- zie 2y ago
  RCS is not really an open standard though. If you want encrypted RCS with android phones, you can't unless Google lets you. At least that was true last I checked. I'm guessing it hasn't changed.
  - whimsicalism 2y ago
    who are you trying to convince? nobody in the know thinks this is a google problem, the facts are pretty obvious
    - zie 2y ago
      Google totally controls that ability. Apple is not any better here, but it's weird to call out Apple as being the only meanie here, when both Apple and Google are equally terrible when it comes to cross-platform e2e messaging. Thankfully we have Signal, which solves the problem better than either platform option.
      - saintfire 2y ago
        Not to say Signal is worse than either option, because it's not, but they really hampered adoption by removing SMS (at least in NA). I have almost no way to convince anyone other than people very close to me to use it due to the (lack) of network effect. If they could just use it instead of the default messenger then it's a dramatically easier sell. Obviously it's up to the Signal Foundation about the direction they take but I don't know if I've seen anyone agree with the justifications. Google and Apple wrap up their locked down BS with SMS for the same reason. It's by default free of network effect but passively pulls people in.
  - dimator 2y ago
    Are you saying if Apple asked Google to sit down and come up with an encrypted RCS working group and get proper interop done, it would be _Google_ that would decline?
    - 2y ago
emchammer 2y ago
iMessage and FaceTime are great. RCS is a 1990s telco non-solution, and Google's adverts negging Apple about it are weird. The less I am aware of the telephone company in my life, the better. This Invites thing is a separate app requiring a subscription service, and not just a + extension within iMessage or Calendar integration or something, so I doubt that I will be using it.
- intelVISA 2y ago
  I guess this is the 'power' of regulatory capture equal to banks? Are telcos invulnerable to innovation?
bmitc 2y ago
It's not the telcos. My family can't send my Android phone a text because Apple intercepts it and sends it as an iMessage instead.
- gf000 2y ago
  That's a very malicious way to put it, and you could easily google how to "deregister" your previous apple phone's number. Also, your family has total control on how to send it, they should just long-press the send button and choose to send as SMS.
  - bmitc 2y ago
    It's not malicious. It's the reality. I already have deregistered my phone number. Their contacts for me have no mention of my email address now. They are sending a message to a phone number, and it still sends it as an iMessage. You aren't being humble and understanding how terrible and complex the situation is. And it is not our faults. It is Apple's. And by the way, that de-registration process only exists because Apple was sued for this before.

cglong 2y ago

I'll blame Apple for dragging their feet on RCS as long as they possibly could

Schiendelman 2y ago
Honestly, having used it now, I don't think they should have implemented it at all. It's terrible, unpredictable, breaks when changing networks…

paranoidrobot 2y ago

Sorry, but the issue is not the standards for SMS/MMS. Yes, they're old standards, and have size limitations. It's entirely up to Apple whether to make their iMessage platform available on other platforms. They've shown they're quite invested in keeping it to running on Apple hardware only by going after and blocking any 3rd party attempt to provide iMessage compatible clients.

NoPicklez 2y ago

I'm an Apple guy and I have to disagree, it's not the Telco's. Android implemented RCS and Apple dragged their feet in implementing the standardised platform such that high quality messaging was seamless and agnostic between brands The iPhone needed to reduce the quality of pics/videos to non-iMessage recipients because Apple didn't support any other form of non-iMessage messaging.

zie 2y ago
RCS is not really an open standard though. If you want encrypted RCS with android phones, you can't unless Google lets you. At least that was true last I checked. I'm guessing it hasn't changed.
- whimsicalism 2y ago
  who are you trying to convince? nobody in the know thinks this is a google problem, the facts are pretty obvious
  - zie 2y ago
    Google totally controls that ability. Apple is not any better here, but it's weird to call out Apple as being the only meanie here, when both Apple and Google are equally terrible when it comes to cross-platform e2e messaging. Thankfully we have Signal, which solves the problem better than either platform option.
    - saintfire 2y ago
      Not to say Signal is worse than either option, because it's not, but they really hampered adoption by removing SMS (at least in NA). I have almost no way to convince anyone other than people very close to me to use it due to the (lack) of network effect. If they could just use it instead of the default messenger then it's a dramatically easier sell. Obviously it's up to the Signal Foundation about the direction they take but I don't know if I've seen anyone agree with the justifications. Google and Apple wrap up their locked down BS with SMS for the same reason. It's by default free of network effect but passively pulls people in.
- dimator 2y ago
  Are you saying if Apple asked Google to sit down and come up with an encrypted RCS working group and get proper interop done, it would be _Google_ that would decline?
  - 2y ago

emchammer 2y ago

iMessage and FaceTime are great. RCS is a 1990s telco non-solution, and Google's adverts negging Apple about it are weird. The less I am aware of the telephone company in my life, the better. This Invites thing is a separate app requiring a subscription service, and not just a + extension within iMessage or Calendar integration or something, so I doubt that I will be using it.

intelVISA 2y ago
I guess this is the 'power' of regulatory capture equal to banks? Are telcos invulnerable to innovation?

bmitc 2y ago

It's not the telcos. My family can't send my Android phone a text because Apple intercepts it and sends it as an iMessage instead.

gf000 2y ago
That's a very malicious way to put it, and you could easily google how to "deregister" your previous apple phone's number. Also, your family has total control on how to send it, they should just long-press the send button and choose to send as SMS.
- bmitc 2y ago
  It's not malicious. It's the reality. I already have deregistered my phone number. Their contacts for me have no mention of my email address now. They are sending a message to a phone number, and it still sends it as an iMessage. You aren't being humble and understanding how terrible and complex the situation is. And it is not our faults. It is Apple's. And by the way, that de-registration process only exists because Apple was sued for this before.