Google says Apple's texting is stuck in the 1990s

Today, Google published a blog post that read as a love letter to RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging. While announcing end-to-end encryption for group chats on Google Messages and marking 30 years since the world’s first SMS was sent, the company explicitly called Apple out for not getting behind RCS.

Both companies have locked horns on the issue for a while now, with Apple refusing to adopt the messaging protocol. The Cupertino company prefers locking its users into iMessage and has time and again junked plans to launch an Android version of the app or enable RCS on iPhones.

“Most of the mobile world is using RCS, but there is one company that’s dragging its heels. But after 30 years of SMS texting, it’s truly time,” Neena Budhiraja, Group Product Manager for Messages by Google, wrote in the blog post.

She goes on to list three reasons for upgrading to RCS, including security thanks to encryption, an upgraded conversation experience with real-time typing indicators, read receipts, and more, and the universality of the protocol that allows for a uniform texting experience across devices.

While Google may have some valid points to make in favor of RCS, there’s also an argument to be had that the protocol is too little too late in the messaging game. Still, Google insists that Apple should support RCS messaging for better communication between iPhones and Android phones, something that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.

“Today, all of the major mobile carriers and manufacturers have adopted RCS as the standard — except for Apple. Apple refuses to adopt RCS and continues to rely on SMS when people with iPhones message people with Android phones, which means their texting is stuck in the 1990s,” said Google. “Hopefully, Apple can #GetTheMessage, so we don’t have to keep waiting to remove the whole green-versus-blue bubble thing.”