What is RCS? Here’s how iOS 18 improves Messages

iOS 18 is coming this fall with major improvements like Apple Intelligence, new customization tools, and more. But one of the biggest changes is coming to Messages: support for RCS.

RCS will make messaging between iPhone and Android work better than ever. Here’s what that means for you.

RCS makes iPhone-Android conversations better than ever

When considering texting, there are several different text messaging methods to be aware of.

• iMessage is Apple’s proprietary text messaging system. iPhones, Macs, iPads, and other Apple devices can communicate with each other via iMessage. This won’t change in iOS 18. iMessage conversations use blue bubbles.
• SMS/MMS are the text messaging system that the iPhone Messages app uses by default when communicating with an Android user. SMS/MMS conversations use green bubbles.
• RCS is like a newer, better version of SMS and MMS that will make messaging between iPhone and Android better than ever.

RCS stands for Rich Communication Services and has been widely available on Android devices for some time. While SMS/MMS is technically more common, it is an older technology and has more limitations.

For example, Androids that support RCS can react to other messages with a heart, thumbs up, or other tapback-like reactions. RCS also allows for higher-quality photos and videos, read receipts, typing indicators, and more.

iOS 18 Makes RCS the New Fallback When You Can’t Use iMessage

In iOS 17 and earlier versions of the Messages app, messaging between an iPhone and an Android device could be unreliable. This is because the iPhone relied on SMS/MMS in these situations, and these are older technologies that don’t seem to work as well with iMessage.

With RCS support coming to iOS 18, your conversations with Android users should be free of the headaches they used to cause. RCS conversations will still use green bubbles instead of blue, but they should be much more reliable for everyday use. You won’t have to worry about media not coming through because it’s too high-quality, or messages getting lost as they sometimes do. And you’ll be able to use more of the iMessage features you know and love in your blue-bubble threads.

It’s important to note that SMS and MMS aren’t going away, they’re just being pushed into the background. RCS relies on cellular data to send messages, rather than a traditional SMS plan. So in situations where you can’t use data but have a basic cellular connection, your iPhone will use SMS.

Available today in beta

RCS is currently supported in the iOS 18 beta for some US carriers, so you can try it out if you’re using the beta and your carrier supports it. Note that the experience is subject to change during the iOS 18 beta, and not all features may be supported right away.