Revamped Rewrite:
Take note, iPhone enthusiasts!
Here's a surprising twist: Apple is loosening its grip - and planning to introduce a new chat feature for all iPhones in the near future. The tech titan made the announcement late Thursday evening.
This announcement revolves around the RCS messaging standard, which, in essence, can be seen as the successor to the humble SMS. The aim is to facilitate seamless communication between Android and iPhone users.
So far, Apple has been a die-hard fan of its in-house chat tool, iMessage, which sends messages over the internet. However, when communicating with Android users, conversations have been confined to the SMS within the same messaging app. The distinguishing feature here is the color of the speech bubbles: blue for iMessage, green for SMS.
But it seems the golden cage is about to open a little bit more. iMessage will remain untouched, but when messaging Android users, the RCS standard will be used in the future.
The Perks of the New Standard
This shift has its advantages. For instance, sending images and videos becomes as easy as pie. Previously, this was only a possibility via MMS, which often comes with additional costs (usually 39 cents with Deutsche Telekom).
How Secure is the New RCS Standard?
Apple's charm has always revolved around the secure encryption of all iMessage messages. However, messaging via RCS is also encrypted. Yet, due to the non-public accessibility of iMessage encryption's source code, Apple claims that the RCS standard is less secure.
The challenge here lies in the fact that the source code's non-disclosure prevents well-meaning people from discovering and reporting potential vulnerabilities to Apple, making it more difficult for attackers to exploit any vulnerabilities.
Apple had previously dismissed the idea of adopting RCS. Their decision has sparked criticism, particularly from Google, with industry insiders hinting at possible EU complaints.
Apple's U-turn could be a response to the requirements of the new EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), which emphasizes greater platform openness. Apple has already yielded to EU pressure with the iPhone 15, replacing its proprietary Lightning connector with the universal USB-C.
- The upcoming change in Apple's communication policy will enable more straightforward messaging between iPhone and Android users using the RCS messaging standard.
- Upcoming conversations with Android users will utilize the RCS standard, resulting in green speech bubbles in the same messaging app.
- The primary advantage of the RCS standard is its ease in sending images and videos, which was previously only feasible through MMS.
- Apple has claimed that the RCS standard is less secure than iMessage, attributing this to the non-public availability of iMessage encryption's source code.
Note: Sources have been omitted or integrated to maintain the original article's flow and readability.
