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.
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.
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’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?
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
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.
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 🤔
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.
I think the real question is, why hasn’t there been a successful effort to properly modernize SMS. Having a standard service capable of messaging any mobile device without using a corporate crufty app the corps can glean all your data from seems the more logical choice. SMS itself will send even if you have a weak cellular connection without Internet data.
Universal standards are good for open communication. Every phone should be supporting the IMS video calling that has existed in the 3GPP spec since rel 99. (1999) as well.
How we got to this selective app hellscape instead of standard voice, video, text messaging is the real problem needing a solution.
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.
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.
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
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.
It’s weird because it is a standard but Google’s implementation is not really the standard. For insurance, the standard does not use end to end encryption, Google does. Their implementation also runs over their own Jibe servers rather than carrier stuff. You gotta be a Google bestie with muscle like Samsung to get your rcs client on Android seems like.
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?
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?
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?
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.
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.
Wouldn’t be an SMS discussion without someone patting themselves on the back because they use use some corpo app.
FB Messenger and Telegram are worse solutions, but Whatsapp is really no different from Google RCS. And Signal has almost no downside.
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.
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.
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.
I am familiar with the whole topic, but your summary is the best I’ve found, tackling objectively all the points of the issue.
I believe this is a real quote from Tim Cook when prompted about RCS in iMessage.
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?
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
Video calls, sending files though.
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.
Also, you don’t even need a platform at all. Just a phone and a phone number.
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 🤔
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.
I think the real question is, why hasn’t there been a successful effort to properly modernize SMS. Having a standard service capable of messaging any mobile device without using a corporate crufty app the corps can glean all your data from seems the more logical choice. SMS itself will send even if you have a weak cellular connection without Internet data.
Universal standards are good for open communication. Every phone should be supporting the IMS video calling that has existed in the 3GPP spec since rel 99. (1999) as well.
How we got to this selective app hellscape instead of standard voice, video, text messaging is the real problem needing a solution.
Because the era of open communication is over. The era of proprietary tracking is here.
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.
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.
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.
The US uses sms.
This app also supports MMS and RCS, which are used by hundreds of millions of people every day.
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
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.
It’s weird because it is a standard but Google’s implementation is not really the standard. For insurance, the standard does not use end to end encryption, Google does. Their implementation also runs over their own Jibe servers rather than carrier stuff. You gotta be a Google bestie with muscle like Samsung to get your rcs client on Android seems like.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Communication_Services
In fact, Apple is implementing RCS in their messaging app: https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/16/23964171/apple-iphone-rcs-support
Well that’s out-fucking-standing!
Edit:
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:
Does this mean they may not actually roll this feature out, or may yank it if they win their appeal?
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.
Nop, it’s the sideloading thing.
Their implementation will not feature E2E encryption.
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?
You are right.
i thought rcs was developed by openwhisper for signal
That’s the Signal Protocol. RCS is Google’s attempt to replace SMS/MMS
in Estonia i occasionally send sms
I’m hoping RCS takes off. We need to step away from WhatsApp now it’s owned by Meta.
RCS will never take off as long as it is tied solely to Google Messages. If they want that to be the standard then they need to open it up.
Personally, as long as 1GB of data costs me an extra $10-15 a month and SMS is free, I ain’t switching to RCS.
You use 4 different apps to send messages while we mostly use one. Not sure that’s the win you think it is.
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.
I only use SMS/RCS to talk to friends and family in text format here in the US.