RCS in iOS 18: What You Need to Know About Apple's Android Messaging Overhaul

[DakotaGuy]

This is really the best outcome. Better texting for all but Apple isn’t caving to Google‘s proprietary and spotty encryption. I’m excited!

Apple promotes itself as being the most focused company on security so I think it's safe to assume they will work with the GSMA to add a layer of encryption to the universal profile. I believe it has already been reported that is the plan. If that happens Google will be forced to switch to that or the two will only communicate unencrypted RCS messages between them.

No one really knows how this is all going to turn out. Regardless RCS will offer a much better texting experience between an iPhone and an Android phone.

 

[Verified Whiskey]

The real question is is it pronounced “read receipts” or “read receipts”?

 

[truthsteve]

Looks like a win all around. More choice is better.

loss for many customers. makes it even more confusing.

 

[allenvanhellen]

I’m glad to see that GSM will beef up RCS encryption instead of leaving it to Google (yikes).

I hope this doesn’t somehow kill off SMS.

 

[Treq]

Looks like a win all around. More choice is better.

I personally prefer and will continue to use Telegram, however.

WhatsApp user here but personally I use SMS time by time when there’s no way to message somebody

I gotta ask because I don't use those apps, How do you message someone who doesn't have those apps? Does it give you a phone number so it is interoperable with standard messaging on almost every phone in the world or do you have to convince people to download an app and sign up for a service to message them?

 

[seek3r]

Same here in NZ. One of the providers has said that it'll cost around $3 million to implement RCS and that it's unlikely to happen when so many people already use third-party services and are unlikely to switch away from them.

For a major telco that’s pocket change…

 

[goobot]

Uh haven’t we been able to send texts over wifi for years now?

 

[boss.king]

For a major telco that’s pocket change…

It's a small amount relative to their revenue, but if they feel like it won't get them much/any return then there's still little incentive to do it.

 

[zoomp]

Hope US regulatory bodies learn something from EU.

 

[magicman32]

loss for many customers. makes it even more confusing.

Nothing at all confusing in the least and it's an unequivocal win for cross platform messaging.

The only thing confusing here is anyone who doesn't support the high quality transmission of photo and video messaging.

 

[whatgift]

I'm curious to how mixed group chats will actually operate - so they will work in keeping the messages together, but does having a non-iPhone in the mix just disable the encryption? How will the reply feature work?

 

[Aoligei]

Email also requires internet connection, meaning if you are outside WiFi connection, you need data.

I have been using Google Pixel for good a year now (along side with iPhone), never ever been charged for RCS.

 

[masotime]

I gotta ask because I don't use those apps, How do you message someone who doesn't have those apps? Does it give you a phone number so it is interoperable with standard messaging on almost every phone in the world or do you have to convince people to download an app and sign up for a service to message them?

It's a good question. If it's for business purposes, SMS will suffice as a base level communications mechanism. These are usually brief and don't require complex feature support (emojis, reactions, deletions, images, video are almost never needed in these cases). E-mail is actually a better medium than SMS here.

For work colleagues, you go with the company defined communications tool. Slack or Microsoft Teams for instance.

It's only for more serious relationships (friends, family, etc.) then you work on convincing people to use a platform. That's where the investment is worthwhile.

 

[boss.king]

I'm curious to how mixed group chats will actually operate - so they will work in keeping the messages together, but does having a non-iPhone in the mix just disable the encryption? How will the reply feature work?

Apple has said they're going to work with the GSMA to build encryption into the RCS standard, so that shouldn't be an issue. As for how the user-experience will work, I'd assume that any features that can't be replicated across the whole group might be disabled for that chat, or non-iMessage users will get some sort of indication that something happened that they can't see (along the lines of "Joe reacted to your message with thumbs up" that used to be a plague for android users for ages and then flipped back around to hurt iOS users in recent years).

 

[minik]

I have group chats with friends on Android devices. Not sure what's the experience on their ends, but is RCS really that important?

 

[bollman]

Why not leave SMS as it is and use it as it was meant to: short messages from providers and services. MFA, warnings, and so on. Not for communication.
There are so many options to use for ”rich” communication, why cling on to the Messages app for dear life?
Also, since we need SMS compatibility, RCS is just yet another standard. It is not replacing SMS.

 

[truthsteve]

Nothing at all confusing in the least

blue vs green bubbles is already confusing for many.

 

[svish]

Very good article. Good to hear that Apple will support RCS

 

[DakotaGuy]

loss for many customers. makes it even more confusing.

It doesn't make it confusing. Get on your phone and send a text message through Apple Messages to anyone in your phonebook. It'll figure out automatically what's compatible and use the best technology to communicate with them. If it's an iPhone to an iPhone It'll be an iMessage unless you literally have no data service then It'll fallback to SMS. Send a message to an Android phone and it'll use RCS unless there is no data service then It'll fall back to SMS. The user won't need to do anything or install anything. You just text.

 

[jahutch2]

I have group chats with friends on Android devices. Not sure what's the experience on their ends, but is RCS really that important?

Used to have an Android and yes it’s horrific. Without RCS every tag shows up as separate text e.g. “Johnny liked a photo” instead of a thumbs up showing up next to the message. Photos and video are low quality. And everything is insecure clear text for the *whole group.*

For folks who use WhatsApp etc there will be no change so I dont understand the complaint. Personally something like 90% of my friends and family mainly use built in messaging and 80% use that exclusively. This varies by group but I know almost no one who uses WhatsApp and none who use telegram. And if they do they all like something different so fall back to built in messaging anyway. I do know outside the US third party apps are far more popular (WhatsApp in Europe, WeChat in China, etc) so this will be less important but in the US it’s huge in my opinion unless you only communicate with iPhone users.

 

[CyberGene]

Can you edit and delete sent messages in RCS?

 

[JustSomebody12]

Does RCS support “verified IDs/numbers”?

That would be nice…

 

[JustSomebody12]

We have "Messages in iCloud". Will Apple support RCS messages in iCloud, too? I love having my full history of conversations appear when I set up a new device.

That already happens with SMS…

 

[DakotaGuy]

Can you edit and delete sent messages in RCS?

From my experience using RCS chat on Google Messages, no. Like SMS once you send a message it's sent. You can delete on your end, but that doesn't change it on the other end.

 

[contacos]

Choices are great but a little late. WhatsApp is already too established here