For years I was an inconvenience to anyone with an iPhone. While I proudly sported my Samsung Galaxy devices, my friends would regret the havoc I would wreak on any text or group chat by “turning everything green.” Apparently, there’s nothing worse for an iMessage user than an Android user who crashes their precious blue bubble party.
I’ve since given up the fight and switched to an iPhone, and now enjoy the many benefits of iMessage, including sending high-resolution photos and videos, seeing input indicators, and sharing reactions. These benefits are limited to sending messages to other iPhone users. Now I’m the one who, much to my chagrin, complains about getting green text messages from everyone “on the outside”. Exclusivity brings out the worst in us.
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Now that Apple has said it will accept Rich Communication Services messaging, things should improve. RCS is a protocol that replaces SMS (Short Message Service) and has many of the same features as iMessage, including input indicators, high-definition media sharing, and end-to-end encryption. It’s already available on Android devices, and after years of pressure from iPhone users, competitors and lawmakers, Apple has said it will adopt RCS on the iPhone as well.
Despite the fact that Apple barely acknowledged the impending arrival of RCS to the iPhone during this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the update is scheduled to become available to the public in the fall with iOS 18. Now rolling out with iOS 18 developer beta 2, 9to5Mac reported earlier.
Here’s everything you need to know about how Apple’s adoption of RCS can improve messaging.
Apple’s RCS screenshot for text messages shows a “delivered” status update, media, and a few green bubbles. While it may look a lot like an ongoing MMS conversation, this is probably the biggest improvement a non-iMessage conversation has seen in years on the iPhone.
RCS will replace sending SMS on iPhone
When RCS arrives on the iPhone, it should transform basic messaging with Android users into a more modern, sophisticated experience by replacing SMS and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). Apple shared a first look at the new feature on its iOS 18 preview page after WWDC, and here’s what we know so far.
Instead of getting small, grainy photos and videos from Android friends, you’ll see high-quality media. RCS will also bring benefits like read and delivered receipts, according to a screenshot released by Apple.
According to X users who used the new RCS capability with iOS 18 developer beta 2, iPhone owners will also see input indicators when texting Android friends.
But there’s a big caveat: Adopting RCS won’t solve the blue-green-bubble problem. iMessage will continue to be available only to Apple customers, meaning that texting anyone who doesn’t have an iPhone will still be a separate (but hopefully more comparable) experience.
And yes, messages with Android users will still be green. You’ll just have to deal with it.
Some features will remain exclusive to iMessage or Google’s Messages app. For example, while you can edit or unsend texts in iMessage, you likely won’t be able to do so for messages sent via RCS. And exclusive Google Messages features like drafting texts using the Gemini AI model probably won’t transfer between devices either. It’s also not yet clear whether messages sent through Android phones and iPhones will be end-to-end encrypted.
Still, this update should make messaging on Android phones and iPhones less archaic.
When will RCS be available for iPhone?
Apple hasn’t shared an exact time, but it should be available in the fall with the release of iOS 18.
Even before the WWDC keynote, Google seems to have accidentally leaked information about the arrival of RCS to the iPhone on a landing page for Google Messages. According to 9to5Google, the search giant noted that the new messaging protocol is “coming soon to iOS” and that “Apple has announced that it will adopt RCS in the fall of 2024.” That mention has since been removed, but it seems like Google can barely contain the excitement you are.
Will DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Open iMessage?
In a wide-ranging complaint against Apple, the US Department of Justice accuses the iPhone maker of hindering competition by engaging in a number of practices it considers monopolistic. This includes accusations that Apple is “undermining cross-platform messaging” by not extending its iMessage service to Android.
Apple maintains that keeping iMessage exclusively for its own devices is in the interest of user privacy and security, noting that it will not be able to ensure that encryption and authentication measures on third-party devices meet its standards. It also notes the company’s ongoing work to support RCS, which it says will enable an improved messaging experience with non-iPhone users.
And if that’s not enough to make people happy, Apple noted the range of other messaging platforms that people can use to communicate between devices, including WhatsApp, Messenger and Snapchat. But depending on where you live, it might be more intuitive to reach for your phone’s native texting app, whether that’s Apple’s iMessage or Google Messages.
Whether the DOJ complaint will force Apple to open up its walled garden remains to be seen. The European Union is also putting pressure on Apple and other tech giants as part of its Digital Markets Act, which aims to promote fair and open competition in the technology sector. Earlier this year, the EU ruled that Apple’s messaging platform did not qualify as a “gatekeeper” service, meaning it would not have to connect directly to other chat apps. (Meanwhile Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger apps do fall under the EU’s watchdog label and therefore will have to allow conversations between other services.) Time — years, perhaps — will tell how Apple deals with the DOJ’s allegations and whether changes are coming for iMessage.
In the meantime, iPhone and Android users can find reprieve in Apple’s upcoming adoption of RCS, which will hopefully make chatting with your friends across devices less painful. And even if the texts stay green, hopefully the grass on the other side looks a little smaller.
