I’m not a fan of the “war” between Android and Apple when it comes to SMS/texting. The rest of the world doesn’t use SMS/RCS/iMessage as much as WhatsApp and the like, so the US is pretty much lagging behind everyone else on this anyway.
That being said, I have to admit Android did a good job with this!
If it doesn’t work everywhere, then the phone company is actively unlocking it, as it relies on the management frames in the cellular protocol - it’s embedded in cell architecture.