Rapper Drake released the song Texts Go Green last Friday (17) and Google took the opportunity to poke fun at Apple. The song talks about the lack of the RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol, which causes the bubble next to a message to turn green when an iMessage is sent to a user who doesn’t use Apple’s messaging tool or has been blocked.

Android official profile posted last Saturday (18), tweet from “unofficial explanation” about the meaning of the lyrics. Among users with different operating systems, the absence of RCS forces them to exchange messages using regular SMS, using phone credits and not counting on resources such as sending videos.

To top it off, the company also “thrown the green card” at Apple, talking about the importance of adopting the RCS protocol, noting that only Apple engineers can solve Drake’s problem. “If only a team of talented engineers at Apple would fix this. Because this is a problem that only Apple can solve. Really, they just have to stick to the RCS.”commented the official Android profile on Twitter.

What is RKS

The RCS protocol is considered an evolution of the SMS system and was launched in 2007. The model is used in Google Messenger and is very similar to Apple’s iMessage systems. RCS, unlike SMS, uses Internet data to send messages, and does not have its own tariffs. Since this feature is not used by telephone companies in Brazil, chances are you didn’t even know that traditional SMS has a more advanced form.

What is the benefit for users and Drake?

Android profile explanation was called “unofficial” as Drake’s lyrics indicate someone who was blocked rather than using a different operating system.. However, Apple’s adoption of the RCS protocol will allow Android and iOS users to communicate via smartphones while retaining all the features of their own messaging apps.

Google has been calling for RCS for Apple for some time now. In January 2022, Android software engineer Hiroshi Lockheimer criticized Google and accused it of holding back the industry and degrading the user experience. “We are not asking Apple to make iMessage available on Android. We ask Apple to support the Modern Messaging Standard (RCS) in iMessage in the same way that they support the old SMS standards.“.

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Source: The Verge, Android Police.