Google has urged Apple to adopt Rich Communication Services (RCS) in its Messages app in a “lyric explainer video” for Drake’s “Texts Go Green.”
RCS is designed to replace SMS messaging and touts support for higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, bigger file size, improved encryption, and more. Google has advocated the new communications protocol for several years.
Google’s senior vice president of Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, has repeatedly tried to persuade Apple to adopt support for RCS, and now, a video posted on the official Android Twitter account once again urges Apple to support RCS.
The video seeks to explain the meaning behind a song called “Texts Go Green,” the third track on Drake’s latest album, “Honestly, Nevermind,” which explains the need to move on from a toxic relationship. The title is a reference to how when an iPhone user is blocked, they no longer see their messages sent as blue iMessage bubbles and send green SMS bubbles instead. “If only some super talented engineering team at Apple would fix this,” the video says.
Apple is the last major RCS holdout, as U.S. carriers that include Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have adopted RCS support for Android devices. Apple has not commented on whether it plans to add RCS support in the future, so the company’s position is still unknown.
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