After years of persuasion by Google, Apple plans to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. An Apple spokesperson revealed that it will support RCS in messaging applications next year. The original statement is as follows: Later next year, we will add support for the RCS Universal Profile. The standard is currently published by the GSM Association. We believe the RCS universal profile will provide a better interoperability experience compared to SMS or MMS. This will sit alongside iMessage, which will continue to provide Apple users with the best and most secure messaging experience.
According to Apple, RCS will “work with iMessage” and will improve communication between iPhone and Android users. iMessage will continue to be the default method of iPhone-to-iPhone communication, while RCS will replace the existing SMS and MMS standards. SMS and MMS remain available as backup methods if necessary.
RCS service is a communication protocol designed and adopted by Google. Smartphone manufacturers and carriers around the world have adopted RCS, but Apple has resisted adoption. To this end, Google has been pushing Apple to accept RCS through long-term advertising campaigns such as billboards, websites, and social media pressure.
Google has set up a website called “Get the Message” since August 2022, calling on Apple to “fix” text messages between iPhone and Android users. Earlier this year, even Samsung got in on the PR spree, releasing a bizarre ad featuring a “Romeo” with green bubbles and a “Romeo with blue bubbles” due to Apple’s delay in adopting RCS. Juliet” can’t be together.
“Green bubbles and blue bubbles want to be together,” Samsung wrote in the ad, which also used the #GetTheMessage hashtag used by Google in its social media promotions.
RCS supports higher-resolution photos and videos, audio messages, and larger file sizes than MMS and SMS, the text messaging standards used by Apple. It also improves chat encryption between iPhone and Android users, cross-platform emoji reactions, and increases the reliability of group chats across different devices.
With RCS, real-time typing indicators, read receipts, better photos and videos, and much-improved group chat will become standard on iPhone and Android phones, ending some iPhone users’ struggles with Android smartphones. The frustration users experience when communicating. Apple says that while RCS improves the security of messages across devices, it is not as secure as iMessage.
According to Apple, RCS will give users the option to share their location with others within a text message conversation, and like iMessage, RCS will run over Wi-Fi networks in addition to cellular networks.
As early as September 2022, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that adopting RCS was not a top priority for Apple. “I’m not hearing our users ask us to put a lot of effort into this at this point,” he said. It’s unclear why Apple changed its stance, but the company is facing multiple countries over its App Store, iMessage and other proprietary technologies. regulatory scrutiny, so adoption of RCS may be seen as a willingness to work with other companies to improve device interoperability.”
For example, the European Union has been developing legislation that would require Apple to modify iMessage so that it can be used on other platforms. With RCS, iMessage will no longer have so many advantages that are unavailable across platforms.
Going forward, Apple plans to work with Google and other GSMA members to further improve RCS. RCS support will be rolled out in a software update next year, and operators will need to implement support for full functionality. In the US, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T already support RCS.
