Apple's Promised RCS Upgrade Still Not Implemented in iOS 26 Beta

[MacRumors]

In March, Apple said that it planned to add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates, and we are still waiting for that to happen. As of the third developer beta of iOS 26 released this week, the upgrade has yet to be implemented on iPhones.

End-to-end encryption for RCS was announced in March, as part of version 3.0 of the RCS Universal Profile, a global standard for RCS features and specifications. This means that Apple has indirectly confirmed that it will support RCS Universal Profile 3.0, which includes not only end-to-end encryption for RCS, but several other iMessage-like enhancements for RCS that were originally introduced in RCS‌ Universal Profile 2.7.

Apple has to wait on carriers to implement RCS Universal Profile 3.0 too, so it is understandable why the process is taking time.

Here are five new capabilities to expect for RCS conversations on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, once Apple rolls out support for RCS Universal Profile 3.0:

• End-to-end encryption, which will prevent Apple and any other third party from being able to read messages and attachments while they are being sent between devices, as has always been the case with iMessage
• In-line replies
• Edit messages
• Unsend messages
• Full-fledged Tapback support for RCS messages, with no special workarounds

RCS support as a whole was added to the iPhone with iOS 18, which supports ‌RCS‌ Universal Profile 2.4. It is effectively a modernized version of the SMS standard, which remains available as a fallback option for text messages over a cellular network.

RCS will be playing catch up with iMessage in many ways. iMessage conversations with blue bubbles have already supported end-to-end encryption by default since iOS 5. In addition, iMessage has supported in-line replies since iOS 14, while the options to edit and unsend iMessages were introduced with iOS 16.

It seems likely that Apple will roll out these RCS upgrades at some point during the iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 26 software cycle.

Article Link: Apple's Promised RCS Upgrade Still Not Implemented in iOS 26 Beta

 

[Zaydax333]

Probably won't see it until the Public Beta at the earliest.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Does RCS 3.0 support allow us to "leave the conversation" when stuck in a big group thread of mixed iMessage/RCS users?

Mixed platform group messaging on iMessage is one of my least favorite things of all time.

"Delete & Block" only seems to keep things at bay for a little while .. and on some devices ...
It's brutal.

 

[Yimbaz]

Makes sense. This requires coordination with carriers. I'd expect it to launch when iOS 26 launches.

 

[SW3029]

jesus can we give them some time to finish the OS before we talk about whats missing

 

[Reason077]

Does RCS 3.0 support allow us to "leave the conversation" when stuck in a big group thread of mixed iMessage/RCS users?
…

"Delete & Block" only seems to keep things at bay for a little while .. and on some devices ...
It's brutal.

Gosh. Maybe the WhatsApp hegemony in Europe isn’t so bad after all. This is one thing it’s pretty good at.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Gosh. Maybe the WhatsApp hegemony in Europe isn’t so bad after all. This is one thing it’s pretty good at.

I'd be delighted to use it!

The problem is my peer group is a bunch of old sticks who are stuck in their on device messaging ways.

 

[Paddle1]

No reason "future software update" can't be iOS 27.

 

[HouseLannister]

But we gave you clear icons!

 

[Premium1]

I'm sure it will come out as soon as the new and improved Siri makes it's debut lol.

 

[justanotherdave]

I wonder how Google feels about this? Apple stated they weren’t going to use Google’s proprietary encryption for RCS and would work with standards bodies instead.

Now we have RCS with official support for encryption. After Google spent years trying to shame Apple into adopting RCS and hoping Google Messages would become relevant again. 😁

 

[Lizzard899]

Maybe they should focus on the bug in messages app where its not deleting texts from the server end. Usually when you manually delete texts and from recently deleted folder it takes 24hrs-4 days for the texts to be deleted on the server end which frees up space on the icloud essentially. Its not doing that. Its been a known bug since ios 18.2 and I keep reporting it on the feedback. They just havent fixed it yet. Prob wont for a year or so per usual. They never fix real bugs for like a year or so.

 

[Premium1]

Makes sense. This requires coordination with carriers. I'd expect it to launch when iOS 26 launches.

RCS launched with the betas last year though...

 

[breenmask]

good. I ****ing hate RCS. Apple should cancel RCS implementation. such a waste of engineering resources.

 

[jimscard]

Given that no carrier has announced that they’re supporting Universal Profile 3.0, it makes sense that neither Apple nor Google have publicly made available any code that supports it. Most likely, their respective developer teams are still working privately with carriers, and the GSMA on the implementation, which would then appear as part of a carrier services update on phones when the carrier is ready for customer testing. Much like T-Mobile’s beta test of Starlink direct to cell services, it’s quite possible that carriers will run separate beta programs for it.

 

[podycust]

It would be nice to actually have RCS but my carrier *cough* Vodafone UK *Cough* doesn't support it iOS yet

 

[jimscard]

good. I ****ing hate RCS. Apple should cancel RCS implementation. such a waste of engineering resources.

RCS is an international standard, adopted by all carriers that offer 5G services. It doesn’t make sense for Apple & Google to maintain proprietary protocols (Google Messages and iMessage) and services now that Apple successfully convinced the GSMA to incorporate end to end encryption in Universal Profile 3.0.

But appearance of it in customer devices has to wait for carrier adoption of Universal Profile 3.0 — and as of today, no carrier has announced support. Not even T-Mobile, whose customers send the bulk of RCS messages (613 million/day).

 

[breenmask]

RCS is an international standard, adopted by all carriers that offer 5G services. It doesn’t make sense for Apple & Google to maintain proprietary protocols

RCS doesn't make sense at all as it relies on carriers.

But appearance of it in customer devices has to wait for carrier adoption of Universal Profile 3.0

Which makes RCS even more stupid to adopt. We shouldn't wait for carriers to get their **** together. Messaging is too important to wait for carriers to figure out how to implement/monetize.

 

[jimscard]

It would be nice to actually have RCS but my carrier *cough* Vodafone UK *Cough* doesn't support it iOS yet

And no carrier supports UP 3.0

 

[Kottu]

My carrier supports RCS on Android but not on iPhone. When I asked their customer service, the guy didn't even know what RCS is.

 

[jimscard]

RCS launched with the betas last year though...

Yes, using Universal Profile 2.4, which is the current version deployed by phone carriers. Before either Apple or Google make Universal Profile 3.0 (which adds the functions like E2EE) available in the phone software, the carriers need to upgrade their systems to support it.

 

[jimscard]

RCS doesn't make sense at all as it relies on carriers.



Which makes RCS even more stupid to adopt. We shouldn't wait for carriers to get their **** together. Messaging is too important to wait for carriers to figure out how to implement/monetize.

Like SMS, which it was intended to replace, yes, RCS is a carrier service, just like phone service.

There are other messaging services, such as Signal, that do not rely on carriers, but they serve a different purpose, and require all parties to use that service. RCS, like SMS, is interoperable between carriers and devices.

 

[breenmask]

RCS, like SMS, is interoperable between carriers

This isn't a benefit.
I traveled to Japan. I could not use SMS. I signed up for a new esim. I could no longer continue the conversation like I did with my USA sim.

 

[jimscard]

My carrier supports RCS on Android but not on iPhone. When I asked their customer service, the guy didn't even know what RCS is.

Which carrier? Typically customer service reps are low-level initial support folks who follow scripts. You’d probably need to ask to be escalated to someone technical to find out what’s going on.

There are a couple of reasons why a carrier might have incomplete support for RCS. One is that, historically, carriers were not required to support RCS at all. So, especially for carriers that still use 4G, or which are piggybacked on other carriers’ systems, they may either have limited capacity, or may even be using one of the older versions, such as Universal Profile 1.0, that may not be able to be provisioned for devices that require later UP versions.

Fortunately, the 5G specifications do require carriers to support RCS, since RCS is intended to replace SMS. This drives wider adoption, and hopefully, all carriers will be able to support UP 3.0 later this year.

 

[jimscard]

This isn't a benefit.
I traveled to Japan. I could not use SMS. I signed up for a new esim. I could no longer continue the conversation like I did with my USA sim.

Not sure what you mean by “continue the conversation”, but if you changed eSim, then you’ve essentially obtained a new phone line, and yeah, I wouldn’t be able to resume a conversation from one phone number on another.

This has nothing to do with interoperability.