Key Takeaways
- Apple is finally integrating RCS into iMessage for better messaging between iPhone and Android users.
- RCS improves upon SMS by offering features like read receipts, better image delivery, reactions, and live typing displays.
- Possible regulation, including pressure from the EU, may have influenced Apple’s decision to adopt RCS and avoid making iMessage available on Android devices.
For as long as iMessage has existed, messaging between iOS and Android has been a dreadful experience on both sides. Users have grappled with poor SMS translations of reactions and terrible image compressions, creating plenty of reasons to avoid texting between iOS and Android phones. But this is all set to change soon. In late 2023, Apple announced it would integrate RCS messaging into iMessage in 2024.
The iPhone is getting RCS messaging support, here’s what that means for you
In the shock news of the year, Apple is adding RCS to the iPhone.
This change could significantly improve functionality in messaging between iPhones and Android devices, offering features like read receipts, better image and video delivery, reactions, and live typing indicators. After years of Apple seeming unwilling to improve cross-platform messaging, it’s natural to wonder what prompted this shift. So, why did Apple finally decide to adopt RCS for the iPhone?
SMS vs. RCS: Differences explained
Before delving into why Apple is adopting RCS, it’s important to understand what RCS is and how it improves upon SMS. RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is a communication protocol designed to replace the largely outdated SMS, or Short Message Service.
The differences between the two protocols are significant.
What is SMS?
SMS messages, unlike those in iMessage and other services, do not rely on Wi-Fi or cellular data. Instead, SMS is transmitted over the cellular network, similar to phone calls. SMS messages also have a 160-character limit. Thus, for a long time, if an iPhone user sent a lengthy message to an Android user, it would arrive as multiple texts, each split at 160-character intervals.
SMS on its own doesn’t support sending or receiving photos or videos. This is where MMS, or Multimedia Messaging Service, comes in. MMS functions largely the same as SMS, but it has a much larger size limit, which accommodates sending image and video files. However, there’s still a relatively low limit. That’s why images sent from Android to iPhone, and vice versa, must be heavily compressed.
What is RCS?
RCS is an improvement on SMS in nearly every way possible. It aims to make text messaging more like using services like WhatsApp, adding all the features that come with it. RCS messages are delivered via Wi-Fi or your cellular network data and allow for a much more robust feature set.
RCS addresses all the issues associated with SMS as a communication protocol. Where SMS has a minuscule character limit, RCS does not. Where SMS is inadequate for sending photos and videos, RCS can deliver them in HD.
Additionally, RCS introduces support for read receipts, location sharing, and genuine group chat functionality. Messaging in a group text chain that includes both iPhone and Android users can be a frustrating experience for everyone involved. RCS resolves this issue.
Perhaps the most significant advantage of RCS is its status as an open standard. This means that any manufacturer can adopt it for their devices without cost. RCS is a complimentary communication standard designed to enhance texting for all users.
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Green bubbles and blue bubbles
iMessage, introduced in 2011, was a novel concept at the time. All the improvements that RCS offers today were already available in iMessage, but only to iPhone users. The issue is mutual; using an Android and struggling to effectively text iPhone users can be equally frustrating.
Blue bubbles represent messages sent via Apple’s messaging service, while green bubbles indicate standard SMS texts, often to non-iPhone users. This distinction has created a sort of ‘iPhone envy,’ with blue bubbles seen as a status symbol. Android users often feel sidelined in group chats, potentially being the one who prevents a smoother messaging experience. They might also be the reason for an influx of “liked” text messages.
“Android users often feel sidelined in group chats, potentially being the one who prevents a smoother messaging experience. They might also be the reason for an influx of ‘liked’ text messages.”
The most challenging aspect is that while the adoption of RCS (Rich Communication Services) could alter this dynamic, Apple has appeared content with the status quo. In 2022, Apple CEO Tim Cook, when asked about RCS adoption, suggested that iPhone users weren’t demanding it. He implied that the solution to any communication issues with an Android-using family member was simply to buy them an iPhone.
Apple’s reluctance to adopt RCS likely came from a few reasons. iMessage, being exclusive to Apple’s ecosystem, sets iPhones apart from Androids, and adding RCS might have blurred this selling point. Also, from Apple’s viewpoint, incorporating RCS into iMessage might not have seemed essential since many of RCS’s features were already available to iPhone users. However, external factors, like the possible EU regulations and a growing demand for better communication between different platforms, probably played a significant role in nudging Apple towards embracing RCS.
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What led to Apple changing its position on RCS?
Apple and the EU
The brief answer is potential regulation. Before Apple announced the adoption of RCS for iPhones in 2024, there were discussions among various telecom operators about urging the European Union to classify iMessage as a core service under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The DMA is an EU regulation designed to address a range of issues in the tech world.
Had iMessage been designated a core service under the DMA, Apple would have been obligated to make iMessage accessible on Android devices. While there is no direct confirmation that Apple’s decision to adopt RCS was to avoid extending iMessage to non-Apple products, the move followed closely on the heels of this news and increasing industry pressure for Apple to embrace RCS.
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When is RCS coming to iPhone and what to expect?
In November 2023, Apple announced it would bring Rich Communication Services (RCS) to iPhones in 2024, although the exact date hasn’t been specified. This update introduces a standard already used by most Android phones; it’s aimed at improving non-iMessage conversations. With RCS, iPhone users can look forward to features like read receipts, typing indicators, better-quality photos and videos, and the ability to react to messages.
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