Experience a Messaging Revolution with iOS 18 and RCS Support!
Apple's Messaging Service Now Compatible with RCS, Ending the Green Bubbles Nightmare
If you've dared to dive into the realm of the iOS 18 developer beta, there's a noticeable change in your Android friend's messages—gone are the familiar green bubbles! The long-awaited RCS support has begun its rollout, and many iPhone enthusiasts have reported patching up old disputes thanks to Apple's concession. It's an exciting era for cross-platform communication!
The second iOS 18 developer beta unveils the long-awaited RCS capability subtly introduced at WWDC 2024. Brave beta testers can now exchange richer media, including uncompressed audio and video, with Android counterparts. Group chats will remain intact, saving users from the frustration of broken conversations over dessert debate. Moreover, users can now see if their iPhone buddies have left them on read, Android style.
According to 9to5Mac, only a handful of U.S. carriers have embraced RCS so far. The trio of major carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, are the frontrunners rolling out the functionality, presumably to cater to developers targeting apps for iOS 18.
If you find yourself running the iOS 18.4 developer beta on your daily driver, the RCS feature can be activated by navigating to Settings > Apps > Messages and toggling it on if it's available. If it's not there, don't worry— your provider simply hasn't turned it on yet. Keep your patience, or revert to a stable iOS version!
As intriguing as the situation unfolds, it will be fascinating to observe whether users will return to the default messages app for inter-platform communication. For instance, I've preferred the WhatsApp experience for exchanging high-res media with my iPhone friends. But they may want to reconnect with me, their one Android-using friend, within the familiar confines of Apple Messages, where they can chat with everyone else. We'll see how it plays out when iOS 18 reaches iPhones this fall.
Bonus Insight:
More U.S. carriers have extended RCS support to T-Mobile-based MVNOs, encompassing Google Fi, Mint Mobile, Boost Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Ultra Mobile, Tello, and US Mobile. These carriers provide iPhone users with enhanced features for cross-platform messaging, including higher quality media sharing, read receipts, and typing indicators.
[1] https://www.techradar.com/news/apple-ios-18-rcs-android-messaging-features-coming-soon[2] https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/01/apple-rcs-android-messaging/[3] https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ios-18-rcs-android-messaging-introduced[4] https://www.theverge.com/2024/06/01/22578967/apple-rcs-android-messaging-mms-improving[5] https://www.macworld.com/article/6571626/ios-18-rcs-messaging-features-explained.html
- The RCS support, long awaited and unveiled in the second iOS 18 developer beta, will allow iPhone users to exchange rich media with Android counterparts come fall 2024, as Apple bravely migrates towards a more unified messaging future.
- As the rollout of RCS support begins, it remains to be seen whether users will return to the default messages app for inter-platform communication, even if it means connecting with the one Android-using friend within the familiar confines of Apple Messages.
- Not just the major U.S. carriers but also several T-Mobile-based MVNOs, such as Google Fi, Mint Mobile, and Metro by T-Mobile, have extended RCS support to enhance features for cross-platform messaging, including higher quality media sharing, read receipts, and typing indicators.
- In 2024, tech enthusiasts participated in the iOS 18 developer beta were greeted with a noticeable change in their Android friend's messages—gone were the familiar green bubbles, replaced by a messaging revolution brought about by the long-awaited RCS support.
