Apple has finally added support for Rich Communications Services (RCS) to its Messages app. This feature arrived as part of the second developer beta of iOS 18 earlier this week.
RCS is a messaging protocol that uses the Internet to let you send and receive high-quality files and images, view typing indicators, get read receipts, start group chats, and more. Moreover. Until now, iPhone users could only send SMS or MMS messages from the Messages app to people who didn’t have an Apple device. You could share media, get read receipts, and use other features only with other Apple device users through iMessage. With this update, iPhone users can start texting and sharing files with anyone using a device that supports RCS, which includes most Android phones.
However, messages from Android devices will still appear as green bubbles in iMessage.
RCS support appears to be limited to US carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon for now. While users may see the toggle if they have the iOS 18 developer beta installed, the feature will only work if their wireless carrier supports RCS and has updated its network offering for iOS 18. We’ll update this story when we hear about the protocol being supported in other regions.
Apple briefly mentioned that iOS 18 would get RCS support during its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) keynote earlier this month.
“When sending messages to contacts who don’t have an Apple device, the Messages app now supports RCS for richer media and more reliable group messaging compared to SMS and MMS,” Apple said in its press release detailing iOS 18.
iPhone and Android users have long asked Apple to support RCS because it makes it easier to send messages and share data with people, no matter what device they’re using. Google has also been pushing Apple for years to break the divide between the blue and green bubbles.
The developer beta also brought the ability to mirror iPhones to Mac screens.
News Source : techcrunch.com
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