What you need to know
- Google has confirmed a Messages upgrade for users communicating with their friends on iPhone.
- Reactions are going to show up as emojis when sent from iPhones.
- Google still wants Apple to adopt RCS.
Google has confirmed improvements to Messages on Android that will show iPhone users' reactions as actual emojis rather than text but says that Apple's continued resistance to RCS is hurting users.
The company stated:
When people with Android phones and iPhones message each other, not everything works the way it should. That's because these conversations rely on SMS, an outdated messaging standard, instead of RCS, a modern, more secure industry-standard Android uses that enables high-quality videos, emoji reactions, end-to-end encryption and more.While our latest updates can't fix everything about Android and iPhone conversations, here are a few ways we're addressing some of the biggest issues we've heard from you.
Those fixes are better reactions when sent from iPhone to Android, and improved video sharing from Android to iPhone thanks to Google Photos.
Google says these measures will help, but "can only do so much." "We encourage Apple to join the rest of the mobile industry and adopt RCS so that we can make messaging better and more secure, no matter what device you choose," the company stated. Apple's iPhone and iOS 15 platform continue to support SMS and iMessage, a topic of growing discussion. It has also been noted by some as a tool that helps Apple draw users to iPhone and keep them from switching to Android.
