For context, Google’s RCS  (which stands for Rich Communication Services) is a new texting standard meant to replace SMS and can send larger files, more diverse media files and use the internet to send messages instead of texts, along with allowing end-to-end encryption. You can actually see it in action if you activate “Chat features” in the Google Messages app. And if you’re thinking this sounds a lot like WhatsApp or more likely iMessage, you wouldn’t be wrong. Google is essentially trying to make RCS the standard among all smartphones and be done with SMS for good, but while Android phones are having it rolled out to them through apps, mobile network providers and Android software updates, Apple has essentially ruled out the need for RCS and basically decided to act like it doesn’t exist. The biggest reason for this is obviously that it sees RCS based services as a direct threat to iMessage, as one of the biggest reasons for iOS users sticking to the iPhone(at least in the US) is iMessage, and if US users knew that some of the biggest reasons they use iMessage are easily available on Android, they might see the exclusiveness of Apple’s ecosystem a little differently. It’s like the “green bubble blue bubble” issue for US users, where iOS users on iMessage have blue bubbles while Android users who would’ve replied using SMS get a green message bubble, and at least in some circles, the green bubble is essentially a source of shame. Add in the fact that blocked iMessage users also get green bubbles and you start to understand the evil genius behind Apples social engineering here. As well as why Drake’s whole song is about blocking someone or being blocked and their texts going green. Apple’s impact on social relevance and culture remains something the company uses to its advantage, and while Google’s approach here is a little cringey, it does make sense as Apple has no logical reason to use RCS besides it’s own need to maintain exclusivity, even if it puts Apple users at a risk of their privacy being violated, something which Apple prides itself in preventing within the Apple ecosystem.

Again, this whole situation is a little crazy and Google’s attempts at approach are laughable. But it is a reminder of how Apple sometimes doesn’t like to play ball, and how it uses it’s cultural and social relevance to often turn the market towards it’s own needs. On another level, it probably shows the cultural relevance of Drake as an artist too, because no matter how you feel about his latest offerings, being able to make a track that makes Google notice and want to rip off is pretty rare. But that’s just our thoughts.

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