One other week, one other Google marketing campaign pushing Apple to “get the message” and undertake RCS messaging. The primary one was tremendous, the second humorous, the third cute, however the nth one now? I’m sorry, Google, however there’s a scent of desperation within the air, and I don’t assume that’s search for a 1.65 trillion greenback firm, irrespective of how badly you need Google Messages to succeed.
From a spectator’s perspective, it looks like watching a trainwreck in gradual movement. Or a film a couple of child asking one other child to be pals over and time and again, and getting repeatedly ignored. It’s unhappy. Your coronary heart aches; you need to scream, “They simply don’t need you of their lives, get a clue and transfer on!” however you possibly can’t cease it from taking place once more.
Maybe, although, greater than the desperation of it, it’s the pointlessness that will get to me. What’s the objective of those repeated campaigns? And extra importantly, who’s the goal? As a result of a relentless public marketing campaign will need to have a goal, although I preserve operating each situation in my head and I’m unsure I’ve a convincing reply for that but.
A pointless marketing campaign with a pointless goal
Google’s RCS marketing campaign goal can’t probably be Apple, can it? I’m certain Cupertino’s higher-ups already know what they’re doing with their iMessage and inexperienced bubble technique and I’m certain they’re completely conscious of all the advantages (learn: 🤑) that phenomenon is bringing them amongst youthful — and even older — generations of customers world wide. However particularly within the US. This yr, Apple snapped 55% of the US market share in Q2, 1 / 4 throughout which it didn’t launch any new telephones and Samsung launched its newest Galaxy S23 sequence. Q2 is when Samsung often will get again a little bit of gross sales share, but it surely couldn’t this yr as a result of the Apple attraction is simply too actual within the US now.
A public marketing campaign can’t probably persuade Apple to make a change; it’s clearly not in its finest monetary curiosity to undertake RCS. And if Google wanted to barter with Apple, a direct method would possibly work higher. There’s priority there too. We’ve seen Apple and Google put their variations apart many occasions over the past decade and are available to an settlement on some interoperability. COVID’s publicity notification API, unknown AirTag and Bluetooth tracker alerts, and the Matter sensible house customary are proofs that the traces of communication between the 2 juggernauts are open and “getting the message” throughout in particular person is best than making a billboard of it in Vegas.
It is in Apple’s finest curiosity to not ‘get the message’ and preserve iMessage away from RCS. A public marketing campaign will not change that.
If not Apple, then would the marketing campaign’s goal be Apple customers? Once more, that doesn’t appear proper. Apple customers couldn’t care much less about “poor” Android customers as confirmed by hundreds of social media posts and movies. They don’t care in case your bubble is inexperienced, or your video is pixelated, or about methods to correctly talk with you. And people who actually do will take some time to put in WhatsApp, Telegram, Sign, or any of the handfuls of messaging apps to succeed in you. A marketing campaign received’t change any of that.
Might or not it’s regulators just like the US FCC or the European Fee? The marketing campaign does convey up the difficulty of safety and interoperability, so Google may very well be silently urgent for regulation as an answer behind the scenes. We’ve seen the European Fee already ask messaging providers to play good with one another. However then once more, why is a public marketing campaign crucial for that? Direct communication with regulators can be quicker, wouldn’t it?
Possibly the objective is to cease bleeding Android customers to Apple within the US.
This leaves us with… Android customers?! Are present Android customers the goal for this marketing campaign? Is the objective to indicate Apple because the unhealthy man who doesn’t need to play good, and harp on about the advantages of RCS? Possibly. Possibly it’s all about retaining present Android customers hooked up to their Android telephones and telling them that the inexperienced bubble and pixelated movies aren’t their fault, they’re Apple’s. That doesn’t transfer the needle ahead, although, it’s only a hopeless effort to maintain it from rolling backward. May as properly inform them to get Beeper to make use of iMessage on Android; that’s a greater repair.
RCS is an answer to a large number Google created
Look, we will’t sit right here and nod and clap each time Google flaunts the advantages of RCS in a tweet, a video, or a presentation. I’m sorry. Sure, RCS is best than SMS, that’s simple, however there are higher messaging choices on the market. If RCS was the end-all, be-all of communication, it will’ve been ubiquitous and unavoidable by now. Like Google Search is — and even Maps or Chrome to a lesser diploma.
If RCS was the end-all, be-all of communication, it will’ve been ubiquitous and unavoidable.
As a substitute, Apple designed a greater answer, WhatsApp designed a greater answer, and Telegram designed a greater answer. All closed, sure, however extra succesful. There are actually dozens of different methods to speak with individuals — and whose fault is that? These providers wouldn’t have existed, blossomed, or gained this a lot traction amongst thousands and thousands of individuals, had there been a correct cross-platform Google Goliath various on the market. Google had a thousand probabilities to create a ubiquitous messaging technique throughout platforms, it had a correct base with Google Speak (later Hangouts) to construct from, but it surely stored attempting to reinvent the wheel till it squandered its headstart and was left miles behind.
RCS is an answer to an issue that ought to not have existed, and it’s unhappy to see Mountain View hoplessly making last-ditch efforts for 2 years now to stay related within the messaging scene. That is it, that is desperation; if RCS doesn’t work, what’s the choice?