{"id":1303,"date":"2023-11-17T17:05:54","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T17:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/apple-to-bridge-message-divide-but-keeps-green-bubbles\/"},"modified":"2023-11-17T17:05:54","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T17:05:54","slug":"apple-to-bridge-message-divide-but-keeps-green-bubbles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/apple-to-bridge-message-divide-but-keeps-green-bubbles\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple to bridge message divide – but keeps green bubbles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple to bridge message divide – but keeps green bubbles<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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By Liv McMahon<\/div>\n
Technology reporter<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Hopes have risen that the era of green and blue message bubbles on iPhones might eventually come to an end. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Currently only iMessages from iPhones have blue bubbles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Apple says it will support a new messaging standard that will make it easier to send texts between phones. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But messages from Android phones will still appear as green bubbles, suggesting those who want the bubble divide to burst may have a long wait. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The company said it will introduce support for a new messaging standard – Rich Communication Services (RCS) – on iPhones and iOS devices from 2024.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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RCS is a standard designed to make it easier for phones on different operating systems to exchange messages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The move, first reported by 9to5Mac, has been viewed as a sea-change for Apple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Apple plans to introduce support for the messaging standard in a software release later next year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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An Apple spokesperson told the tech publication that RCS would be better for users seeking to message users of rival phones compared to SMS or MMS. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Google, which develops the Android phone operating system, has been the biggest competitor calling on Apple to enable RCS.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Its “get the message” campaign has emphasised that besides frustration for some users met with green-coloured messages on iPhones or iOS devices, SMS and MMS messages are not protected by end-to-end encryption.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Recent EU rules for digital platforms may have also encouraged Apple’s adoption of RCS. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires providers of major digital services – so called “core services” – to introduce ways for users of their platforms to easily interact with rival platforms – including sending messages between rival systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Financial Times reported in early November that Google and other firms had written to the European Commission, urging it to declare Apple’s iMessage a core service that should be interoperable with rivals like WhatsApp.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Apple has argued iMessage shouldn’t be subject to these rules, but the European Commission had said in September it was investigating whether Apple’s iMessage should be deemed a core service.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Earlier this year Apple was forced to ditch its signature lightning port on new iPhones to meet EU requirements for a common charging cable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Apple’s announcement comes days after phone manufacturer Nothing launched a way for owners of its latest smartphone to send iMessages to iPhone users. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The company said its app Nothing Chats would offer a bridge between iPhone and Android handsets and let users connect via blue bubble messages. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Responding to the news of Apple adopting RCS the company posted on X (formerly Twitter), “looks like they got the message”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Related Topics<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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