Tim Cook Answers Why Apple Will Not Support RCS, the Standard that Replaces SMS

Apple CEO Tim Cook has rejected the possibility of solving green bubble problem, i.e. adopting Rich Communication
Services (RCS), the messaging standard in Messages for Android.

At Vox Media's Code conference, one attendee told Cook that he finds it difficult to send videos to his mum because Apple devices don't support RCS. This protocol was developed by Google and is now supported by major carriers.
In response, Cook suggested that the listener should buy his mum an iPhone:

I don’t hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy in on that at this point,

Cook said.

This is the first time Tim Cook has publicly touched on the Rich Communications Services standard. The technology is intended to replace existing SMS and MMS standards, as it offers support for higher resolution photos and videos, larger files, availability of audio messages, improved encryption, emoji and group chats.

As a reminder, in August 2022, the Android development team launched a new website, Get the Message, which again urges Apple to adopt RCS. The site recalls the need to solve the problem of cross-platform messaging between Android and iOS users.

RCS can unite all smartphone users and provide everyone with a secure, modern messaging experience, Google believes.

According to the developers, it's not about the colour of the bubbles, it's about the tiny photos and videos, the inability to send SMS over Wi-Fi and the lack of read reports. The company believes that Apple creates these problems when people text each other from iPhones and Android smartphones.