How Apple tried, and failed, to push carriers toward adopting a standardized iMessage

Apple i time proposed that major the United States of America wireless carriers adopt a standardized version of iMessage, its proprietary instant messaging service. Telcos wouldn’t bite, balking at the idea.

Green bubbles!

The piddling nugget was revealed past times ex-iOS boss Scott Forstall in an editorial published yesterday (via AI) inwards The Wall Street Journal. Speaking with reporter Joanna Stern, Forstall explained that carriers refused to adopt a standardized iMessage version which had the potential to piece of work across platforms in addition to carriers due to compatibility in addition to interoperability concerns.

TUTORIAL: How to deregister your telephone number from iMessage

Here’s the coin quote:

We approached the carriers to pursue adding features to the existing texting systems in addition to removing the additional client costs. For diverse reasons, from the difficulty of extending the existing standards to challenges alongside interoperability betwixt texting systems in addition to carriers to the wishing of carriers to protect a meaning revenue stream, these explorations didn’t pan out.

Apple created iMessage because it wanted “messaging to experience to a greater extent than similar a conversation,” the erstwhile iOS primary added. As a quick refresher, Forstall was fired inwards 2012 over his refusal to sign an apology over the widely reported Apple Maps debacle.

And in addition to thus this is where nosotros stand upwards now.

Instead of working to attain a mutually beneficial solution that would accept benefitted the entire manufacture in addition to customers, nosotros are similar a shot living inwards a dark-green bubble basis inwards which Apple is routinely defendant of leveraging iMessage inwards companionship to brand switching to Android hard.

This isn’t solely fair to Apple—SMS organisation is outdated spell iMessage is evolving continually.

The dark-green bubble is how Apple users know they’re chatting alongside mortal on Android

Part of the argue why SMS in addition to iMessage tin lav hardly e'er travel interoperable is because SMS lacks back upwards for messaging perks similar typing indicators, read receipts in addition to more.

As Joanna explains succinctly:

That agency no acknowledgments when a message is delivered/read or that mortal is typing a response. It also agency express video sharing in addition to visual tools in addition to less, if any, compatibility alongside the to a greater extent than advanced iMessage apps, similar Apple Pay.

Worse, SMS is easily hacked in addition to doesn’t back upwards end-to-end encryption similar iMessage.

Introducing RCS

Telecommunication companies accept been using the same SMS in addition to MMS services for years.

In the past times twelvemonth or so, however, Android smartphone makers, the Internet giant Google in addition to cellular wireless carriers accept started using the Rich Communication Services standard, or RCS. What RCS does is couplet the gap betwixt the traditional texting systems similar SMS in addition to modern messaging apps in addition to services similar WhatsApp or iMessage.

TUTORIAL: How to take away a telephone number from iMessage

Like modern chat services, RCS requires Internet connectivity in addition to brings a host of features unsupported past times the aging SMS/MMS protocol. Some of its capabilities include presence in addition to visibility information, read receipts, typing indicators, grouping chatting in addition to and thus forth.

It’s unclear if Apple is genuinely planning on integrating back upwards for the RCS protocol inwards its operating systems, but i affair is clear—it views iMessage equally a major competitive advantage.

When retired technology columnist Walt Mossberg inwards 2016 asked a senior Apple executive why iMessage wasn’t beingness expanded to other platforms, he was given 2 answers.

iMessage apps brand porting the organisation to non-Apple platforms virtually impossible

First, Apple considers its ain user base of operations of 1+ billion active devices to supply a large plenty information laid upwards for whatever possible AI learning it is working on. And second, having a superior messaging platform that only worked on Apple devices would assistance sales of those devices.

As nosotros underscored, RCS brings the best of modern messaging apps to cross-platform texting. Not only is RCS way faster than SMS, but supports read receipts in addition to typing indicators. RCS messaging is currently unencrypted, but equally manufacture players proceed adopting the measure it should gain additional features similar end-to-end encryption.

Apple adopting the RCS measure inwards the hereafter would solve the dark-green bubble issues inwards i vicious swoop, equally Joanna notes inwards her amusing video that I’ve embedded below.

But volition it?

Quo vadis, iMessage?

Or Apple could but port iMessage to other platforms in addition to telephone band it a day, right?

The main work alongside that is iMessage’s range in addition to breadth. The feature has come upwards a long way from its inception inwards 2011 equally piece of work of the iOS five update when y'all could only chat in addition to post or in addition to thus attachments to nowadays. Now a platform, iMessage similar a shot supports grouping chatting, stickers, apps, reactions in addition to other interactive features.

Don’t accept access to your iPhone? Deregister iMessage online!

Were Apple to convey the total iMessage to a unusual OS, it’d also accept to port around of the underlying operating organisation to brand all iMessage app piece of work or run a hazard fragmenting the platform.

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber heard from origin dorsum inwards 2016 that mockups of iMessage for Android had circulated within Apple alongside varying interface styles ranging from looking similar the iOS Messages app to pure Material Design.

To this date, iMessage for Android remains nowhere to travel seen.

Your 2 cents

Would Apple travel shooting themselves inwards the human foot past times porting iMessage over to the Android platform, exercise y'all think? If iMessage existed on Android, would y'all utilisation it?

Let us know past times leaving a comment below.

Share this post