Apple plans to adopt RCS for the iPhone in 2024

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a texting standard that offers more features than SMS or MMS, such as typing indicators, high-quality media sharing and in-line reactions. It is available on Android phones using the Google Messages app, the default texting app on most Android devices. Apple said in a statement to 9to5Mac on Thursday that it will support RCS Universal Profile, the standard published by the GSM Association, on the iPhone next year. The company said RCS will work alongside iMessage, which it says will remain the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users. Apple did not give an exact time frame for the implementation.

Google welcomed Apple’s participation in the RCS project and said it is happy to see Apple embrace RCS. Google said it has worked closely with the mobile industry to accelerate the adoption of RCS and make messaging more modern and secure for everyone. Google also said it looks forward to working with Apple to implement RCS on iOS in a way that works well for everyone.

However, this does not mean that all the exclusive features of iMessage and Google Messages will be available to both platforms. For example, Apple has a Check-In feature for location sharing, and Google has a Magic Compose feature that uses artificial intelligence to draft texts. It also might not end the green bubble versus blue bubble situation that distinguishes iMessage and SMS texts.

Source | Via