Unlikely. This is most likely due to regulatory pressure of the EU. The Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act both hit Apple pretty hard.

Though the real losers here are potentially WhatsApp, Telegram and other third-party services (assuming that Apple will implement E2E encryption). Since iPhone is not as dominant in other countries as the US, WhatsApp and some other messaging services have become dominant outside the US. They are not really necessary anymore once there is a proper standard across platforms.

Telcos should be utilities. They supply the pipes that deliver services and applications.

RCS is unfortunately a step backwards from that idea.

And regarding Google's motivations for that campaign: They have acquired a company offering RCS services to telcos and marketers... https://jibe.google.com/

> Telcos live in the Stone Age. A little disruption is well overdue.

I thought RCS was still a Telco-based service? Don't you have to have a telephone number to use it, at least? I keep hoping we go away from POTS, instead of continuing to invent reasons to be stuck with it.