Google exec says Apple is ‘holding back’ customers who text

aspenmayer · on Jan 11, 2022

RCS is garbage. Here’s why:

There is a publicly-facing Google site to enter an RCS enabled cellphone number, in order to disable Chat features… including end-to-end encryption.[0] This feature should only be configurable on-device, ideally, or at least be behind a login and 2fa. It’s just there on a public site. This is basically asking for sim-swapping attacks. And you’d never notice, only wonder why your RCS e2e keeps turning itself off. I wonder which individuals and agencies may benefit from that…

Even with the Chat features enabled, RCS doesn’t not support e2e on group texts[1], unlike iMessage, which does[2].

Google is just playing dirty pool and calling Apple users bullies by proxy, and I’m calling them on it.

[0] https://messages.google.com/disable-chat

[1] https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202724

[2] https://support.google.com/messages/answer/10262381?hl=en

liamwestray · on Jan 11, 2022

I mean... If anyone would know it's Google. Nobody has held back functional instant messaging more effectively that them.

Let's see if RCS actually works? Telecoms and Google saying this new messaging standard will be better is not exactly an endorsement I would trust.

aspenmayer · on Jan 11, 2022

> Nobody has held back functional instant messaging more effectively that them.

This is more to do with Google being really, very bad at not canceling projects only to later reinvent them, only to later cancel them again.

Your point is cogent and stands, just pointing out how Google has a penchant for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

RCS is DOA if you actually care about the security it claims to support. End-to-end encryption can be turned off by anyone who knows your phone number and is in a position to sim swap you. There’s a public Google site for this, and it uses, you guessed it, SMS. You can’t make this stuff up.

RCS group texts are not e2e. iMessage group texts, just like all iMessages, are e2e.

charcircuit · on Jan 11, 2022

RCS seems like a downgrade for me. It's impossible for me to go back to chatting without custom emoji.

"Oh I know the perfect emoji for how I feel. Oh yeah this app only supports the cringe default emoji."