Hiroshi Lockheimer oversees all of Google’s operating systems as senior vice president of platforms and ecosystems. In recent years, he has criticized Apple for not supporting the RCS standard to make iOS messaging more interoperable with Android systems, and his latest attack on iMessage is one of the harshest ever.
The Android chief and RCS supporter took to Twitter this morning (January 10 local time) to quote a Wall Street Journal article about iMessage’s dominance in the army of texting teens. And how this can lead to young Android users feeling excluded from communicating with iOS users.
Lockheimer noted: Apple’s iMessage lockout is a well-documented tactic. Using peer pressure and bullying as a way to sell products is disingenuous for a company that has humanity and fairness at the heart of its marketing. The standards that exist today can address that.
iMessage should not benefit from bullying. Texting should bring us together, and the solution exists. Let’s fix this as one industry. 💚💙 https://t.co/18k8RNGQw4
— Android (@Android) January 8, 2022
It is reported that Lockheimer’s well-documented may be referring to Apple’s Phil Schiller in 2016 to move iMessage to Android, and software director Craig Federighi also said that iMessage under Android is purely for removing iPhone families to children. Handicap with an Android phone. Both comments came to light as part of Apple and Epic’s lawsuit.
Lockheimer believes that Apple’s decision not to support the Rich communication service standard is to protect the vendor lock-in effect of iMessage. RCS will modernize SMS/MMS with iMessage-like features including typing indicators with reading receipts, higher quality photos, sending over Wi-Fi/mobile data and business messages.
With this support, the Google executive hinted, there will be less pressure to get an iPhone, as messaging Android users or vice versa will be a more modern and comparable experience. Over the past year, Google executives have encouraged Apple to adopt RCS and talked about the security consequences of iOS not doing so, but today’s comments are the harshest yet. The quote has been retweeted by other Google executives and Android Twitter accounts this morning.