Tim Cook made it clear that Apple won't adopt RCS any time soon

Speaking at the Code 22 conference, Tim Cook was asked about why Apple refuses to add Rich Communication Services (RCS) support to Messages. The question comes after Google has been campaigning to see RCS support, which would in theory make messaging

"I don't see our users asking us to put a lot of energy into that at this point," Cook told the questioner. "I would love to convert you to an iPhone."

That unnamed questioner gave as an example the situation he is in with his mother. He would like to share videos with her, but she's an Android user and can only exchange text or SMS messages with him.

"Buy your mom an iPhone," said Cook.

The exchange ended there, with neither side commenting on how although Messages and RCS is a hot issue in the States, it isn't anywhere else. Outside the US, alternatives such as WhatsApp are so very much more prevalent than Apple's or Google's systems.

Nor was the issue that RCS remains half-baked after many years. And it was also not mentioned that Google is pushing RCS only because its own messaging alternatives failed to catch on.