Apple has no intentions of ending the blue-green chat bubble war, which means that Android and iOS smartphone users alike will continue to have a sub-optimal messaging experience whenever they communicate cross-platform via SMS.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently had a conversation with Kara Swisher, Jony Ive, and Laurene Powell Jobs at Code Conference. When it came to the Q&A section, one audience member asked Mr. Tim about Apple's plans and refusal to adopt the RCS (Rich Communication Services) standard. (via 9to5Google) The CEO's response may surprise you.
Want RCS? Ditch the iPhone and get an Android
Tim Cook confirmed that no progress is being made on the RCS front by Apple. “I don’t see our users asking us to put a lot of energy into that at this point. I would love to convert you to an iPhone,” he said.
The audience member then explained that although they use an iPhone, their mom uses an Android device. And because iOS doesn't support the RCS standard, their messaging experience and level of interaction are very limited. To which Tim Cook replied: “buy your mom an iPhone.”
Evidently, this is as much of a solution to the blue-green chat bubble problem (and all the limitations it entails) as ditching the iPhone and buying an Android phone instead. And by the way, if you happen to be in a similar situation as the aforementioned audience member, Samsung would love to sell you a new Galaxy phone.
Google urged Apple to adopt the RCS standard in a recent campaign, saying that “texting should bring us together, and the solution exists. Let's fix this as one industry.” But evidently, Apple seems happy with this division and doesn't seem to care about smartphone users from other platforms or even the experience of iPhone customers interacting with Android users via SMS.
