As much as they like to pretend RCS is an open standard, it’s really not. In practice, it’s a proprietary protocol to Google Messages. Which the other commenter mentioning custom roms, Google recently blocked platforms that they dont approve of from using RCS.
A variety of small but useful features. Typing indicator, reactions, read receipts, and larger media limits. I’m sure there’s more, that’s all I can think of off the top of my head.
You can send rcs messages over Wifi even if you don’t have a cell signal, like iMessage. You can also get iPhone emoji reactions to messages instead of getting a text message saying “X hearted this,” or w/e
The best that the SMS protocol can tell you is whether the message was delivered and even that isn't a requirement. SMS has delivery receipts, it does not have read receipts.
Being able to send pictures and videos without SMS/MMS downscaling them to like 144p (hell I’ve had it be even worse than that for videos sometimes) is incredibly handy. That’s the main benefit for me. Others have commented about the other features. And I’m fairly certain the article did state E2EE will be implemented.
One feature I found extremely useful is that you can now quote previous texts. Less useful is the ability to react to texts with emojis. But it’s good for letting someone know that you saw/liked their message by reacting with a thumbs up.
Well for one, iMessage runs over the internet and Apple isn’t a telecom company (Verizon, etc)
Either way, the TL;DR is that either there must be a backdoor or something else to allow law enforcement to access communications that run over telecom companies. This doesn’t apply when a user does it, but definitely when telecom companies design a messaging protocol.
yes I know Apple isn’t a Telecoms company but you need a SIM from a Telecoms company to use iMessage. RCS runs over the Internet too, yet you also need a SIM card for that. Also Telecoms companies aren’t designing message protocols anymore. I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.
Public-private key signing, using up to date cryptography. That’s it. It’s also “quantum safe”, because all cryptography used by the public goes through peer review processes.
Microsoft as well as Meta have contracted Whisper Systems, but there’s no way of guaranteeing that the signing process is functionally working or if it’s been broken. If it’s run server side, you have no clue. If it’s run client side, there’s still a question if the process hasn’t been tampered with in some way.
Remember: there is no such thing as cryptography with a backdoor. At that point, it’s just a secrets system.
WhatsApp does use the Signal protocol, but unlike Signal only applies it to Messages, Calls and Status.
Your profile info, who you’re talking to, when you’re using the service, groups you’re in, channels you’re following and much more is left unprotected intentionally.
For instance, Signal sends your profile end-to-end-encrypted instead of leaving it freely accessible on servers.
RCS makes everything better by forcing us to add a second proprietary communication standard to our phone that is advertised by Google and required by Chinese law regulations. And is also know for bad security…. What could possibly go wrong.
is not rcs simply another locked down standard under the thumb of google, which they have decided to limit and block on rooted devices in the past?
correct me if im wrong ? but this all seems like a freight train of no good barelling in. google propoganda has won out and we’re swapping one gatekept standard for another.
I believe that RCS is a specification maintained by the GSM Association. That’s not to say Google is not a member (they are) and has a strong influence, but Google doesn’t own the standard either
They are also the only RCS supplier on Android. A random messaging app can’t simply add RCS messaging functionality.
You are correct that an app can't directly implement RCS but it can support it. RCS is implemented by the carrier, not by Google or any other text application.
RCS is an open standard that any carrier can implement to replace SMS/MMS. The only thing special that Google does is on top of RCS is provides E2E via its own servers for handling messaging. The E2E isn't a part of RCS, though it should be IMO. Regardless, Google doesn't 'own' the Android implementation because it isn't a part of Android, other than it can support the carrier's implementation of RCS.
If you didn’t create private and exchange public keys with the other party, you aren’t fully in control. I’m not saying that as some kind of righteous purist, just a technical point of note.
Samsung signed a deal so that they can use the Jibe API to be a part of E2E when using RCS.
Since I'm sure there's Internet where you're at, you can take a look from Verizon's RCS roll out on messages+ in 2021 to Samsung's S9, prior to relying on Google Jibe. Verizon did eventually switch to use Jibe for their entire RCS implementation now instead of relying on their own infrastructure as did T-Mobile.
They don’t own the standard, but they own the Android implementation of it. Other RCS implantations are hardcoded to not be supported on Android, with the exception of Samsung’s - and they had to enter an agreement with Google (that we don’t know the terms for) to do that, and even then it’s just the Google implementation under the skin. I guess similar to all iOS browsers being Safari underneath.
It’s not open unless you create your own new operating system and implement it that way.
Google’s implementation also adds a bunch of closed-source extensions on top of the standard.
The E2EE element of RCS has basically been a property Google thing, despite all their marketing BS about RCS seeming like some sort of open universal career messaging platform.
Although, allegedly they’ve finally relented and a universal encryption solution is now in the works.
Can confirm they block rooted Android users intentionally, completely silently, at least when using Google’s RCS servers. The message just doesn’t send and is automatically deemed spam if you don’t pass PlayIntegrity. And the only RCS capable app is Google’s Messages, third party apps can only access SMS and MMS functionnality.
So yeah, fuck RCS really. I was completely on board with RCS until that. Apple was right on that one. It won’t fix messaging, it just puts it in Google’s hands unless carriers finally decide to roll out real RCS instead of relying on Google to provide it.
Third party apps had that resolved a decade ago, and Signal is just plain better.
But in order to get that ROM you need an unlocked bootloader, breaking integrity (best case scenario is device level integrity, you can’t get strong anymore). Google RCS will sort of work if you can pass Device, but in my experience things break silently if you don’t pass Strong (massively delayed messages, messages not sending, and RCS randomly disabling for no reason at all in the middle of a conversation).
I disabled RCS after hearing about this, despite being on an unrooted stock rom. I’ve had a phone suddenly decide to not pass “integrity” 2 years after buying it, despite being not rooted and on stock, it’s not worth the risk of missing text messages.
Moving forward, Google appears to be relenting to Apple, and will be giving up their control over RCS E2EE. Apple and Google are working with the GSMA on a universal standard that is not owned by a single gatekeeper.
That said, for v1 of RCS on iOS, since that universal encryption standard doesn’t exist, RCS will be unencrypted on iOS, allegedly. So, it’s likely to mean that, this fall, iOS to Android is still just as insecure as ever over carrier text messaging, but now images and videos won’t look like shit. Then at some point soon, cross platform messaging will get proper encryption.
We’ll probably need to wait until WWDC before we get more info on what’s actually happening with cross platform RCS.
Sure, the other option is having it tied to an email, which is reliant on your single vendor and is also an easier way to create an army of spam bots. Phone numbers at least are transferable between carriers.
The email vendor doesn’t really matter though unless you are sending or receiving emails. Phone numbers require you to pay a carrier every month. And while most people have phone numbers, some don’t, especially children.
My mum used iMessage to communicate with my sister before she got a phone number. If she switched to Android, I guess there’s Google Chat, but you know how Google is with their chat apps.
Ideally you’d be able to choose between phone number OR email. Like iMessage.
If she switched to Android, I guess there’s Google Chat, but you know how Google is with their chat apps.
That’s far from the only option. I can think of half a dozen relatively mainstream options off the top of my head (Signal, Telegram, Whatsapp, Discord, Matrix, Skype), though I think the first three still want a phone number. There are many more.
Yeah signal, telegram, and whatsapp all want phone numbers I think. And I don’t think I’d be able to convince my mum to use Discord or Matrix. She’d probably end up using something like Facebook Messenger/Messenger Kids
It’s the natural evolution of SMS. And SMS does what no messaging app does, it lets me send a text message to any mobile number without having to wonder whether the other party has installed the same app as me.
When I make phone calls, it’s between me, the person I’m calling and our carriers. I want it to be the same for text messages.
Not really — since so far nobody else has adopted RCS. And not many people use the Google one either.
The Signal protocol is a defacto standard and on the path to becoming an actual standard. It’s already the most widely used messaging protocol today except for perhaps Email… but email would only be larger if you include messages that were sent by bots. For human sent messages, Signal is the most widely used protocol in the world.
And as part of the DMA in Europe, Meta (which makes up most Signal users) is opening up their infrastructure so that any other messaging app can send/receive messages to their users. Which would essentially make it a perfect replacement for SMS and definitely better than RCS. You won’t have to use WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger yourself, to be able to securely contact anyone who does.