Apple plans to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard following persuasion from Google. An Apple spokesperson confirmed that support for ‌RCS‌ will be coming next year.

“Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association,” the spokesperson said. “We believe the RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.”

Working Alongside iMessage

Apple has announced that RCS will be introduced to improve communication between iPhone and Android users. iMessage will continue to be the default messaging app for iPhone-to-iPhone communication. RCS will replace the existing SMS and MMS standards, while SMS and MMS will remain available as a backup option when RCS is not available.

What is RCS?

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a communication protocol adopted by Google and other smartphone makers and carriers worldwide. It offers features like read receipts, high-resolution photo and video sharing, audio messages, improved encryption, and better reliability for group chats across different devices.

Apple Resisted Adopting RCS

While much of the industry has adopted RCS, Apple has been resisting supporting the standard in favor of its proprietary iMessage platform. Google has been pushing Apple to accept RCS for years through an ongoing advertising and public relations campaign involving billboards, websites, social media posts, and more.

For example, Google launched a “Get the Message” website back in August 2022, calling on Apple to “fix what’s broken” in messaging between iPhones and Android devices. Earlier this year, Samsung got in on the campaign with a bizarre ad depicting green message bubble-user “Romeo” unable to connect with blue bubble-user “Juliet” over Apple’s refusal to adopt RCS.

Why Make the Change?

It’s unclear exactly why Apple has now chosen to integrate RCS into iOS. Last September, Apple CEO Tim Cook said RCS wasn’t a priority based on user demand. However, the company faces increasing regulatory scrutiny over its closed ecosystem, including services like iMessage. Adopting RCS could be seen as a sign of good faith toward interoperability.

The European Union, for example, has pushed for requiring iMessage to open up to other platforms. With RCS support, iMessage loses some of its proprietary advantages in messaging iPhone users versus Android users.

What Happens Next

Apple has announced that it will be collaborating with Google and other mobile carriers to enhance the RCS standard in the future. The support for iPhones will be added as a part of the 2024 software update. After this update, mobile carriers will need to enable full functionality on their networks. Currently, the major U.S. providers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are already supporting RCS.