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The Google messaging update looks bad. It reminded me I purchased textra a while ago. (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/android@lemmy.world
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They really didn't have to redesign a text box. Please stop reinventing the wheel. I don't need another pop up in my life.

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[–] 8 points 2 years ago (13 children)

Just out of curiosity, how much people still use SMS? I can't remember last time I sent SMS.

Here in Finland we use mainly Whatsapp, FB Messenger, Telegram or Signal for messaging. Almost no one I know has sent SMS in the last 10 years.

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  • [–] 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

    It's not a choice, here, so much as it is the result of our smartphone culture.

    In the US, using the default messaging app on your phone is the norm for most people. Third party messaging apps like WhatsApp simply never caught on over here, so we've let Apple, Google, Samsung, etc determine how we talk to each other. Vendor lock-in tactics run rampant, with barely any regulation.

    The default messaging apps on iPhone is iMessage. It's locked down and can not communicate with any other messaging app except via SMS. Therefore the other apps have to use it to communicate with iPhone users.

    Conversely, Google has a messaging protocol they're trying to get Apple to adopt called RCS, but Google also refuses to let RCS be used by third party apps. So SMS becomes the fallback for communication between them.

    It's partially corporate bickering, partially consumers being tech illiterate and staunchly opposed to using anything third party. Particularly in the case of iPhone users, there's a strong culture of entrenchment in the Apple ecosystem, and for some people, not being in it is actually seen as worthy of derision. There's actual cases of bullying in schools if a kid doesn't use iPhone, and that's having an increasingly detrimental effect on the market.

    You have to appreciate, in Europe, you're mostly using Android, a (somewhat) open ecosystem, and that mentality is stronger over there.

    But here in the states, iPhones are extremely prominent, and with them comes the mentality that Apple has spent decades programming into its consumers: don't use anything non-Apple, and if that creates problems for other people, too bad, they should just buy Apple too.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago*

    The default messaging apps on iPhone is iMessage. It’s locked down and can not communicate with any other messaging app except via SMS. Therefore the other apps have to use it to communicate with iPhone users, who you will never, ever convince to download a third party messaging app

    One other thing is that none of the third party messaging apps can even use SMS. iOS is designed so that only Apple can use SMS.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago

    Using SMS is largely because it's been free on most vendors since about 2008. Just before smartphones took off, with everyone getting data plans which would enable proper messaging systems.

    I've been running XMPP on my phone since 2010.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago*

    I am familiar with the whole topic, but your summary is the best I've found, tackling objectively all the points of the issue.

    if that creates problems for other people, too bad, they should just buy Apple too.

    I believe this is a real quote from Tim Cook when prompted about RCS in iMessage.

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  • [–] 19 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    I'm in France and I still use sms. Unlimited sms became the norm well before data plans and messaging apps, and it's much easier I can just text someone without having to look on which plateform they have an account. It's like voice calls, for sure you can call someone on messenger or Whatsapp but why bother when I can just make a regular phone call?

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    For voice calls, most use regular phone calls here, it just works better (and VoLTE/VoWiFi is great addition to sound quality). Apps are only used when you are making video calls.

    As for messages, it's much easier to send images/videos via whatsapp/signal than it's via SMS. + replies/reactions. Probably main reason why people use apps instead SMS (even while many/most of our plans include unlimited data/sms/calls). RCS added those features IIRC, but why switch to another solution while apps works just fine and most of people already are used to Whatsapp 🤷‍♂️

    And most of the people here has Whatsapp installed, so usually you don't have to guess what app to use :P

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    The US seems to primarily still use sms. I've heard it's tied to having unlimited messaging phone plans being the norm, so people weren't as drawn to other platforms.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    And US still has very expensive data plans compared to Finland (I pay 21e/month for unlimited 200mbps data, calls, sms). That could also be one factor why SMS is still used there so much 🤔

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    It's really that SMS has been free since about 2008.

    I don't even think about my data usage, really. My plan is 10gb. That's a lot for a phone, and I let it connect to certain wifi networks while out and about. Plus it uses a VPN and my apps encrypt data so it's not really a concern.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    UK here, I still use SMS for people who aren't on Signal.

    I don't use WhatsApp and I'm on Android, so no iMessage, so SMS is the great leveller that will always work.

    It's a shame Signal dropped SMS fallback as it was really useful.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    One of the issues they explained when they dropped SMS is that it was misleading to users to have unencrypted communications in an app that promotes privacy over all.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Yeah, and to be fair, I see their point.

    But I feel they could have done more to communicate to users that "this message will be encrypted" or "this message won't be encrypted". It's their app though, so up to them I guess.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I use the default Google messaging app, and am in the US. When sending to other Android users it uses RCS. The only time it sends as SMS/MMS is when messaging iPhones because Apple won't support RCS

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    If I'm not mistaken then Apple can't support RCS until Google opens it up. It's a closed protocol tied to the Google Messaging app. Go look for another Android app that supports RCS. There are none. Okay, there's one from an unknown company, with a bunch of bad reviews.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    In fact, Apple is implementing RCS in their messaging app: https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/16/23964171/apple-iphone-rcs-support

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    Well that's out-fucking-standing!

    Edit:

    RCS will instead replace SMS and MMS and “exist separately from iMessage when available.”

    Well, that's kind of concerning for iMessage users. Will they completely lose SMS and MMS support? What about when the iMessage or RCS servers are unreachable?

    Edit 2:

    and it’s planning to file an appeal against the government’s regulation of its App Store

    Does this mean they may not actually roll this feature out, or may yank it if they win their appeal?

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    Well, that’s kind of concerning for iMessage users. Will they completely lose SMS and MMS support? What about when the iMessage or RCS servers are unreachable?

    It's pretty confusing, but I don't think so. Read the last bit: "when available". SMS and MMS will be available, but RCS will take priority over them when available.

    Does this mean they may not actually roll this feature out, or may yank it if they win their appeal?

    Nop, it's the sideloading thing.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Their implementation will not feature E2E encryption.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (2 children)

    The only RCS implementation that has E2EE is Google Messages (well, pretty much the only one available, but anyways), RCS as a protocol doesn't have it by default, right?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    You use 4 different apps to send messages while we mostly use one. Not sure that's the win you think it is.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Just to be clear, never said that I used all of those. Just made quick list of most popular apps to use here :P If I had to guess, over 95% of people here just use WhatsApp.

    They all have pretty much same functionality what traditional sms is missing.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (2 children)

    I'm hoping RCS takes off. We need to step away from WhatsApp now it's owned by Meta.

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