What's happened
Apple will add support for rich communication services (RCS) to enhance iPhone messaging, allowing for higher quality photos and videos, more reliable group messaging, read receipts, and location sharing.
Why it matters
This announcement is significant as it addresses the long-standing frustration of iPhone users when texting non-iPhone users and improves the overall messaging experience. Additionally, Apple will extend the free satellite communications feature for iPhone 14 users, providing a valuable safety feature for those in areas with limited phone coverage.
What the papers say
The New York Times reports that Apple's support for RCS will improve messaging between iPhone and Android users, while The Independent highlights Apple's focus on security features like Lockdown Mode. Axios mentions that Apple's support for RCS does not mean opening up iMessage to non-Apple devices. The sources provide different perspectives on Apple's messaging strategy and the significance of the RCS support.
How we got here
Apple has been under pressure to improve messaging between iPhone and Android users, as iMessage has been exclusive to Apple devices. The addition of RCS support aims to address this issue and provide a better messaging experience for iPhone users.
More on these topics
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Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.
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Rich Communication Services is a communication protocol between mobile telephone carriers and between phone and carrier, aiming at replacing SMS messages with a text-message system that is richer, provides phonebook polling, and can transmit in-call multi
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Pegasus is a spyware developed by the Israeli cyberarms firm NSO Group that can be covertly installed on mobile phones running most versions of iOS and Android.