Apple's moving to integrate end-to-end encryption (E2EE) into the RCS open standard messaging marks a major privacy win for both iOS and Android users. In this video, Techlore breaks down what this...
I can sort of see why it’s not been a priority for them. Outside of the US nobody uses SMS or the built in text apps. I just went through my phone and I haven’t had a text message that wasn’t business related since July.
It was honestly surprising to learn that SMS/RCS/iMessage is the most common way to send messages in the US, as it hasn’t been that way in the UK for over a decade now.
For better or worse, folks in the UK & EU all switched to apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, etc. due to better features and free international calls.
It seems like RCS is finally mature enough to compete, but good luck getting folks to move back.
WhatsApp wasn’t a Meta product when it originally took off; Meta didn’t even exist at the time. WhatsApp was bought by Facebook in 2014, and already had hundreds of millions of users at the time.
It seems like where I live, RCS is not supported on all carriers (not on mine) - but most importantly, not on all phones. The one carrier that has it says it only works on certain Samsungs (I guess also Google Pixel, but they are not officially sold, even if not unpopular). So even though they’re not paid separately like SMS, I don’t think anyone would be switching to it from Whatsapp or Telegram.
I can sort of see why it’s not been a priority for them. Outside of the US nobody uses SMS or the built in text apps. I just went through my phone and I haven’t had a text message that wasn’t business related since July.
It was honestly surprising to learn that SMS/RCS/iMessage is the most common way to send messages in the US, as it hasn’t been that way in the UK for over a decade now.
For better or worse, folks in the UK & EU all switched to apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, etc. due to better features and free international calls.
It seems like RCS is finally mature enough to compete, but good luck getting folks to move back.
Why are meta products so popular in Europe?
WhatsApp wasn’t a Meta product when it originally took off; Meta didn’t even exist at the time. WhatsApp was bought by Facebook in 2014, and already had hundreds of millions of users at the time.
Outside the US, most carriers charged per text message, but basic data wasn’t usage-billed. You could send as many Whatsapp messages as you wanted.
It seems like where I live, RCS is not supported on all carriers (not on mine) - but most importantly, not on all phones. The one carrier that has it says it only works on certain Samsungs (I guess also Google Pixel, but they are not officially sold, even if not unpopular). So even though they’re not paid separately like SMS, I don’t think anyone would be switching to it from Whatsapp or Telegram.
Which is for the best, since SMS is insecure.
A better example to show that SMS’ are insecure are the Signalling system 7 protocols.
While it is possible to incerpte SMS, phone calls and 2FA (kinda scary…) it comes with a high cost (14k) and some technical skills.
However, if you are a vulnerable target, just don’t use SMS or any smartphone. Geotracking is also possible !
I use QKSMS regularly and I’m not in the US
I had some! It’s the rescue services warning you that the ice is starting to break and you shouldn’t walk on it.
Yeah but unfortunately there’s a metric f*** ton of them using WhatsApp.