Apple is finally adding RCS texting to the iPhone - and I'm absolutely thrilled
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Apple's iOS 18 is shaping up to be one of the most significant upgrades in the software's history. Between all the AI features and tweaked UI to the broad customization options, it's almost like Apple is revamping the iOS experience as we know it, which will shake things up for iPhone owners for years to come.
Also: 5 iOS 18 features I've been using on Android for a while
But by far, one of the best features of iOS 18 has nothing to do with the latest innovations out of Cupertino. In fact, it has roots in another part of California: Mountain View. RCS.
A few years ago, a new text messaging standard called Rich Communications Service, or RCS, was introduced by Google. It's designed to replace SMS messaging, which has been around since the 1990s. RCS supports a vast array of modern messaging features like higher quality photos and videos, read receipts, clearer audio messages, and more, making it feel more like a messaging service like Telegram or iMessage.
It took a while for the new standard to roll out, but it eventually reached every Android phone that uses the Google Messages app thanks to broad carrier support.
Despite the feature being available on Android phones for a number of years, Apple has refused to bring it to the iPhone. The company has relied on an inferior experience to remind users that talking to other iPhone users with iMessage is better than talking to Android users over SMS. Naturally, it's caused a great level of frustration not just among the tech-savvy begging for high-quality video sharing between platforms but also among users who simply want a better messaging experience.
Also: You'll soon be able to text 911 via RCS on your Android phone. Here's how it works
Apple
Fortunately, we're getting just that. Shortly before Apple was forced to bring RCS to the iPhone through European regulators, the company announced the technology would trickle onto its devices later on in 2024. Now, we have confirmation that the feature will officially arrive as a part of iOS 18.
Apple didn't spend a lot of time talking about it onstage during WWDC. In fact, Craig Federighi mentioned it for about two seconds toward the end of his iOS 18 demo. They didn't mention all of the capabilities it would bring to iPhones, nor the benefits of it compared to SMS, which signals the company doesn't want to make it a pinnacle new feature of the iOS experience.
Despite Apple's efforts to minimize it, RCS will improve the time you spend texting your Android friends with richer media support, read receipts, and more.
Also: Everything to know about Apple's AI features coming to iPhones, Macs, and iPads
Unfortunately, we don't know everything that RCS will enable on your iPhone. On Android, you can do things like share files, send messages over Wi-Fi, and even see typing indicators. In iOS 18, we only have confirmation for a few features thanks to a feature card on Apple's website: read receipts, (presumably) higher-quality photos, and audio messages. The text field will indicate when you're messaging with RCS, and all of your bubbles will remain green.
Even though we don't know everything about RCS on the iPhone, it's my most anticipated feature of iOS 18 by a mile. Yes, the Apple Intelligence stuff looks cool, and I dig all the customization Apple is adding to the home screen. But my biggest problem with using my iPhone daily is sending messages to Android users over SMS, which is oftentimes incredibly slow and unreliable with spottier connections.
Also: Apple's iOS 18 will let you record phone calls without a third-party app
There have been a number of times I've tried texting my brother -- who has a Pixel 7 Pro -- something urgent, only to find out he never received my message for some reason or another. Try to send a photo over SMS, and you'll be praying that it goes through successfully. And you can forget about video sharing; I just resort to Telegram for that.
I realize I could use third-party messaging apps to solve this problem. After all, that's what I've done with video sharing. But I like to have all my message threads in the same place, and I'd prefer that place to be the same app where I have all my iMessages. With RCS, I'll finally be able to do that, even if it doesn't get all of the features that the technology is capable of.
Of course, we still have some time before we're all using RCS on the iPhone. Apple won't ship iOS 18 until the fall, and the feature has yet to go live in the beta. Until then, I'll be anxiously awaiting that sweet "RCS" indicator to pop up in my Messages app, and you'll likely hear from me again when it does.