RCS Messaging is Coming to iPhones with iOS 18

Apple has announced that iPhones will support Rich Communication Services (RCS) in its Messages app with the upcoming iOS 18 update, set to launch in September 2024.

RCS Messaging will replace traditional SMS and MMS protocols and bring features like read receipts, typing indicators, media sharing, and improved group messaging.

At the WWDC 2024 event on June 10, 2024, Apple software engineering lead Craig Federighi announced they would introduce RCS to iPhones in September 2024. It’s one of the 18 features Apple is launching with its iOS 18 version.
 

RCS messaging will enhance person-to-person (P2P) messaging and allow businesses to enhance richer conversation. The update aims to enrich the messaging experience between iPhone and Android devices.

RCS has been around for years on Android devices. Google has supported RCS since 2019, integrating it into the Google Messages app to provide users with features like high-resolution photo sharing, group chats, read receipts, and typing indicators. It provides an experience similar to popular apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

On the other hand, iPhone users have enjoyed similar features through iMessage, but these features were limited to communications between iPhone users only. Messages sent between iPhones appear in blue bubbles, indicating iMessage, which supports rich media, read receipts, and secure encryption. However, when iPhone users message Android users, the conversation falls back to SMS, indicated by green bubbles.

The upcoming support for RCS in iOS 18 will bridge this gap, enabling a unified and enriched messaging experience between iPhone and Android devices.