Google appears to have leaked Apple’s plans to introduce RCS to iPhones

The iOS vs. Android debate will never end, but texting between the two platforms will be vastly improved thanks to Apple’s reluctant adoption of RCS messaging. Apple announced in November 2023 that RCS would be introduced to iOS in 2024, but they didn’t know when after that.

I’ll get a little more specific here, but it’s not from Apple.

Google recently published a new Google Messages landing page on its Android website, briefly showing that RCS Messaging will be coming to iOS later this year. Given that iOS 18 is also scheduled to arrive later this year, it seems all but confirmed that the new messaging standard will be available to iPhone 16 owners first. This coincides with Apple releasing new features once a year instead of throughout the year like Google.

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The now-deleted statement read: “Apple has announced that it will adopt RCS in the fall of 2024, which will improve the messaging experience for everyone.”

Apple has not made any such announcement, nor has it disclosed what devices RCS will be installed on.

What exactly do we mean by “a better messaging experience for everyone”? Currently, users can send text messages between two operating systems, but there are no input indicators or read receipts, and images and videos are sent in low resolution, and color differences in chat bubbles are often exploited. RCS doesn’t solve the bubble color problem, but it could potentially address everything else.

In November 2023, Apple said RCS “offers a better interoperability experience compared to SMS and MMS.” The company added that RCS, in conjunction with iMessage, “will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.”