What about like a guitar hero star power style meter that builds as you type accurately and eventually has both users screens exploding with lights and sounds?
I live outside of the United States but I’m from there. I like the bubble colors so I can make sure I’m sending free iMessages instead of paid sms messages.
It’s unclear whether rcs will charge for international texts.
That’s because iMessage (blue bubbles) has a whole host of built in features that regular SMS doesn’t have. Read receipts, typing indicators, spoiler text, full quality media attachments, doodling, animated emojis, etc… As soon as an android user joins the group chat, everyone gets downgraded to regular SMS (green bubbles) and has a noticeably worse experience.
Yes, it’s Apple’s fault for not playing nice with android, and intentionally using an older version of texting (SMS). But the “bullying” is because everyone in the group chat suddenly has to deal with the lack of features, and starts complaining.
It’d be like if Discord allowed any user to disable emojis, media uploads, reactions, etc for every single server they’re a part of. Every single server would hate them for it.
I understand the reason, and I understand the possible solutions, and I also understand that Apple benefits from picking the one that pressures kids into spending a few grand on their devices instead of supporting and mutually improving RCS.
Google touting RCS like it's some big new thing as if it isn't some outdated as hell unencrypted protocol and defnitley has nothing to do with the fact that they have been sitting on their ass not even trying to make a new system all while blaming apple.
God what a mouthful
If it ain't open source E2E, then shut up and sit down.
Google messages as an app can also screw off. Pictochat from the DS had a more usable and nicer looking UI.
E2E on RCS is not a described standard. This is a google addon that requires the use of data/WiFi to function, and is exclusive to the Google Messages App because Samsung torpedoed their own app last year, leaving Google as the only E2E "provider"
spoiler
Functionally, it's not even straight RCS because it bypasses the protocol limitations by using wifi anyway.
At that point, it would be equivalent to using Signal or Whatsapp since they don't run on GSMA either.
To be fair though, I guess this is also partially GSMA's fault for not properly creating a guideline for an updated standard or version.
I have no evidence of this theory but I suspect that it is partly a result of careful manipulation.
Many buttons/menus in iOS utilize the blue color for text or backgrounds that also is used when you message another iOS device. The result is that it feels congruent and natural within the color scheme of the operating system - if you are messaging an Apple device.
The green color used for messages to non Apple devices is somewhat jarring in comparison and subtly (or subconsciously) gives you the impression that something is not right. Additionally the green that was chosen provides less contrast to the white text (relative to the darker blue & white). So reading the green bubbles is just a little more effort. These effects combine to a general sense of unpleasantness.
I believe all of this is deliberate on Apple’s part and isn’t as simple as someone “caring” about colors but rather the situation being engineered to make them care.
Oh that's actually a very sensible theory, I can totally get behind that. On android I've themed my phone to a pretty much black & white style, so if anything in another color shows up, I'll first assume it's a warning of some sort.
I was hoping to be able to change colors for my group chats to set them apart. So this is going to be SOOOOO helpful for the two people in my contact list that are RCS.
I use QKSMS+ as my message app and can change colors for every contact. I have a group chat with my wife (phone and Google voice tablet) and daughter and they all are different colors.
I use it because on some phones the emergency alerts are tied into the message app, and also Android requires that only one app registers itself as the message app at any given time and only that app has access to the SMS database.
On those phones, using a different app means you don't get alerts. And in my country emergency alerts are actual life-threatening events.