Will the green texting bubbles disappear? Some reports point to maybe.
Apple announced it is adopting the RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging standard, which will feature iMessage-style texting between iPhone and Android users.
Set to launch through a software update next year, it will replace SMS (short messaging service) and bring new features like read receipts, typing indicators, better group chat support, and improved media sharing over Wi-Fi and mobile data.
“We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS,” Apple said in the statement obtained by CNN. “This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.”
While it's not 100% clear if the green bubbles would disappear, it's for sure going to make sharing high quality content a lot easier between the two.
RCS works through an internet connection, and it supports GIFs, high-res footage, group messaging, and end-to-end encryption, while SMS relies solely on the carrier bandwidth, which causes those annoying green bubbles, unreliable group texting, and the low-quality images your Android friends send.
According to the tech site 9to5Mac, which reported the news first, Apple is not making iMessage available on other platforms. Instead, the company is adopting RCS independently from iMessage because the company says iMessage has superior security and privacy as it's end-to-end encrypted with Advanced Data Protection for Messages in iCloud, while RCS currently lacks encryption as robust as iMessage.
This might end the green message bubble vs. blue message bubble divide
Nothing will soon roll out its “Nothing Chats” app that they claim can send blue bubble messages to friends with iPhones even if you don't have one.
