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Beeper reverse-engineered iMessage to bring blue bubble texts to Android users (techcrunch.com)

submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Beeper reverse-engineered iMessage to bring blue bubble texts to Android users::The push to bring iMessage to Android users today adds a new contender. A startup called Beeper, which had been working on a multi-platform messaging

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (2 children)

@Mountaineer @gregorum Apple is going to implement RCS, the EU put pressure on them.

However I am surprised that Beeper was able to do this in software. With everyone else using an Apple device as a proxy, I figured the protocol required a magic handshake from the TPM chip in an Apple device. That would be easy to do.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (3 children)

There's some gotchas in Apples statement:

They have promised to implement "RCS Universal Profile"
This means the bare minimum, not the advanced features implemented by Google and Samsung etc.
An example of a missing feature from Universal Profile is end to end encryption.

They also said: "This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users."
The implication of this is that it won't be in the iMessage app, it will be in a separate but official app, siloing your Android friends from your iPhone friends.

When this comes out, every European is going to shrug and keep using Whatsapp.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

@Mountaineer Encryption needs to be added to the standard, and then Apple will be expected to implement it. Hopefully the EU knocks some heads together and makes this happen.

WhatsApp is owned by Facebook and has ads, which is two good reasons not to use it. Europeans are just as "stuck with a bad standard" as Americans are here.

I use RCS quite a bit and like it. Although nothing on a phone should be regarded as truly secure.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

The implication of this is that it won't be in the iMessage app, it will be in a separate but official app, siloing your Android friends from your iPhone friends.

Lol wut

SMS and iMessage both work via the same Messages app. All they’ll do is add RCS functionality to the Messages app, and iPhone users will continue using the same app they’ve always used.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

what? that's not the implication at all. it'll work just like SMS does now. same app, just RCS instead of SMS

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

it’ll work just like SMS does now

I agree with this part of your statement 100%.
It will work POORLY.

Whether it's in the same app or simply a different colour like SMS is currently, it'll be a half assed implementation, designed to segregate your iphone and android friends.

Got an existing iphone group chat? Bet you can't add an RCS participant to it.
Create a new RCS group chat so you can include everyone? Bet it's missing features that you'd get in imessage.
Receive a high resolution video from a friend via imessage? Forward that to another friend via RCS and they'll receive 5 blurry pixels.

And throughout all of this, apple will blame the RCS protocol and say "We're actively working with GSMA to improve RCS".

No one trusts apple for the very simple reason that they have a habit of saying the quiet part out loud: Tim Cook Says 'Buy Your Mom An iPhone'

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

unfortunately you're right. it'll be marginally better, sure, but I have zero doubt the "green bubble" is just going to be a different color. better than nothing I guess

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

RCS is too liitle, too late. It sucks. People have issues with it today... It's less reliable than SMS, and it's E2EE is problematic.

Fortunately much of the world has moved away from SMS already, so those folks aren't coming back. I try real hard to get people away from it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

@BearOfaTime I have RCS and use it. It works fine. I have not noticed significant reliability problems, using Google's servers. If there are problems it's likely the carrier's garbage implementation.

There is no standard here in the USA except SMS.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 11 months ago

It works fine, for you. When it works is irrelevant. When it doesn't is what matters.

Go to reddit look for RCS problem posts. It's terrible.