ihatescreennames

Based on a quick perusal of my contacts I’d have to say that the title is correct and RCS isn’t widely available from an iPhone. I started a new message thread with people I know have Android phones and out of the 12-15 I tried only 1 showed RCS, all the others showed SMS. Of course, it isn’t all carrier specific. My cousin is on Verizon and is the only one of my contacts that showed RCS. My good friend is also on Verizon but still shows SMS. I’d venture that my cousin is running a more current version of Android than my friend is.

eriamjh said:

ihatescreennames said:

eriamjh said:

I just realized that if you want to track an iPhone owner and not have them notified, leave AirPods on them, around them, near them, etc. instead of AirTags.   

Plus, there are dumb@sses with cars worth half a million dollars who don’t have GPS trackers installed.  

Not really. My wife leaves her work-assigned AirPods in my car occasionally and I get a notification that they have been following me around. That notification includes a map and a red line showing my route/s where the AirPods were with me. 

Thanks for the details.    But would anyone who sees this message assume that they’re being tracked?    You now, because they’re just AirPods.  

it’s been a while since it has happened but I’m pretty sure the message that comes up says something to the effect of AirPods have been detected near you and the owner of them can track their location. It’s very similar if not the same as the warning that comes up with an unknown AirTag.

ETA: like this. (The forum isn’t letting me upload any images but this one show the warning about detected AirPods.  

iOS_Guy80 said:

ihatescreennames said:

eriamjh said:

I just realized that if you want to track an iPhone owner and not have them notified, leave AirPods on them, around them, near them, etc. instead of AirTags.   

Plus, there are dumb@sses with cars worth half a million dollars who don’t have GPS trackers installed.  

Not really. My wife leaves her work-assigned AirPods in my car occasionally and I get a notification that they have been following me around. That notification includes a map and a red line showing my route/s where the AirPods were with me. 

So do AirPods have the same functionality as AirTags using Find My?

Very similar. I can see their last known location, play a sound and use the “Find” feature that will direct me to them if my phone can get their signal,

eriamjh said:

I just realized that if you want to track an iPhone owner and not have them notified, leave AirPods on them, around them, near them, etc. instead of AirTags.   

Plus, there are dumb@sses with cars worth half a million dollars who don’t have GPS trackers installed.  

Not really. My wife leaves her work-assigned AirPods in my car occasionally and I get a notification that they have been following me around. That notification includes a map and a red line showing my route/s where the AirPods were with me. 

MplsP said:

I am confused – just what is the EU asking? iPhones are already compatible with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and you can easily pair any Bluetooth device with your iPhone. They are also Qi compatible, So wireless charging isn’t an issue either. I’m trying to think of a device that I can’t pair with my iPhone and I can’t. I suppose maybe an android watch? 

You’re confused because everything about the DMA is confusing. There’s a reason why Apple, Google and Meta have to keep testing the waters to see if their next try works. That reason is because the DMA isn’t clear in saying exactly what it expects of “gatekeepers”. When these companies try to comply they are told their solution doesn’t follow the spirit of the law. Well, WTF? How can they follow the spirt of the law if the letter is so unclear? It’s a mess.

As others have pointed out, it seems the EC is radically anti-capitalist (to large companies from outside the EU) but they are afraid to actually say so, so they have to wiggle around every time a new solution is brought out and come up with a new reason that whichever company is being non-compliant.

ETA: I’m no fan of Meta/FB but the EC/DMA’s demands there are ridiculous. Meta put forth a model where people could pay a monthly subscription to FB and get a no ads and no tracking experience OR they could continue using FB free of charge but with tracking and targeted ads (PS: that is something Vestager herself had said she would like to see). But the EC came back saying that wasn’t good enough and Meta needed to offer a free tier that also had no tracking and targeted ads. It’s a similar situation with Apple making a bunch of concessions and adding the CTF. Uh-oh! The CTF may not be meeting the spirit of the law! It seems what the EC/DMA want is free access to everything but only for large, successful companies that are outside the EU. When will the EC demand Spotify offer a free tier with no advertisements? That’s a joke, because if Spotify ever gets big enough to be considered a “gatekeeper” the DMA will probably be modified to make sure they don’t.