Hacker News Reader

Comment by TheDong | Hacker News Reader

I want Apple iMessage to be clearer on iOS.

Right now, iOS users can't as easily understand the difference between iMessage and SMS, and I think it would make what's happening clearer to users if the apps were separate.

If you opened the "SMS" app to get your sms 2fa codes and talk to android users, and your "iMessage" app separately to talk to iPhone users, it would make people less mad when they open their iMessage app to iMessage, and instead weirdly get green bubble SMS.

It would be like if when I installed the "firefox" app on iOS it instead installed "safari" and touching the "firefox" icon opened "safari", and didn't have any firefox addons. Oh weird, sorry, bad example.

The point is not that iMessage is better than whatsapp, it's not. The point is that iPhone users try to use iMessage, and right now apple's weird SMS integration with it makes them accidentally use SMS and get annoyed.

View on HN

    The point is that iPhone users try to use 
    iMessage, and right now apple's weird SMS 
    integration with it makes them accidentally 
    use SMS and get annoyed.

I disagree that the "annoyed" people are "trying to use iMessage." I think they're just trying to message their friends. They are annoyed because the only common protocol supported by all parties in the conversation kind of sucks sometimes.

Apple has made the correct set of trade offs. If you just want to send a text message and don't care about the particulars you can do that and you'll automagically get the best possible experience based on the best lowest common denominator protocol whether it is iMessage, RCS, or SMS.

And if you and your buddies are savvy enough to want more than that you can install Signal or Whatsapp or whatever.

But that baseline out-of-the-box experience for mobile phones has always been "if I have somebody's number I can text/call them using my phone's out-of-the-box functionality and the network sorts out the details."

I think it's kind of nuts to throw that in the trash and you don't appreciate what a huge step backwards that would be for most of the people who buy and use phones.

Also, would you not agree that out of the box E2EE is a huge deal!?

But the keys and key exchange protocol for E2EE have to be managed by somebody. Signal, Google, Apple, whoever.

Indeed. Pretty much everyone I know is "texting" with their friends and using whatever is the default app on their phone. Some people will use Whatsapp for specific groups/events, but that default text app is very commonly used.

This reminds me of a conversation with an iPhone-using elderly relative who wanted to text friends in their retirement home:

ER: Why is it that when I send text messages to my friends they sometimes never get them?

Me: When you get messages are the bubbles green?

ER: Yes.

Me: Is there bad phone signal in this area?

ER: Yes.

Me: OK, that means your friends are using Android phones, so your messages are being sent by a method called 'SMS' which isn't very reliable, particularly when phone signal is poor.

ER: I don't really understand that. What I can I do to fix it?

Me: You and your friends could install an app such as Whatsapp or Signal and send your texts with that.

ER: No, I'm not installing an app!

Me: You could persuade your friends to buy iPhones.

ER: They won't do that.

Me: You could wait a few months and Apple will most likely activate a new system called "RCS" on iPhones which might make messages with your friends a bit more reliable.

ER: That's no good, I need to fix it now.

etc. etc.

being sent by a method called 'SMS' which isn't very reliable, particularly when phone signal is poor...

Not that it is relevant to overall point, but this is the exact opposite of my experience. I've been in plenty of situations where it is impossible to make calls because the signal is so bad, but communicating with SMS has worked perfectly. As my signal gets weaker and weaker, SMS is always the last thing to fail.

Interesting. I don't think I've noticed that, but I have run into various issues with SMS when there's poor signal. On one occasion I could receive but could not send, just at the perfect time when someone was waiting for me and I was unable to get to them.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com