Samsung has released a video in support of Google’s #GetTheMessage campaign, urging Apple to embrace RCS (Rich Communication Services), a cross-platform protocol positioned as an SMS successor with features akin to Apple’s iMessage. The video, titled “Green bubbles and blue bubbles want to be together,” portrays a Romeo and Juliet-style exchange between two users desiring to communicate, despite being separated by one of their “parents.”
The term “bubbles” refers to Apple’s iMessage interface, which displays feature-rich blue bubbles for Apple user messages and less-functional green SMS bubbles when Android users are involved. This dual-class system is particularly frustrating in countries like the US, where approximately half of the population uses iPhones, and the other half relies on Android devices, such as Samsung’s.
Apple has a strong incentive to maintain the status quo to preserve ecosystem lock-in. However, the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) could compel Apple to open up its messaging service. Regulators are currently scrutinizing whether iMessage qualifies as a “core platform service” under the rules, which would require Apple to enable interoperability with other messaging platforms.
