Tag: RCS

Apple Confirms RCS for iOS 18
At the end of 2023, Apple made a commitment to support RCS in the iPhone Messages app at some point in 2024. The news was huge, but we didn’t know at the time if a big update to iOS would be required or if they could push support on the backend. Then in March, Google went ahead and confirmed that support would arrive in the fall, leading us to believe that RCS support could hit iMessage with iOS 18.

As it turns out, that was correct. Apple, during WWDC today, said that the next version of iOS will indeed have RCS support. You can see the mention in the screen capture below.

Apple trolled a bit in their confirmation by taking a special moment to talk new Messages features as a part of the new iOS, only to never mention RCS. We actually began to think they weren’t going to say the letters “RCS” after rumors have circulated suggesting they would. And then to finish off their iOS 18 talk, they posted this slide and then said in a single sentence that RCS support was coming. That was it.

So there it is. We still don’t know everything, but RCS should at least make text messaging between Android and iPhones not such a disaster. The bubble colors aren’t likely to share, just the messaging experience. We sure hope this leads to non-broken group chats, better media sharing, and other RCS features will be a part of messaging, no matter the platform of the person on the other end.

Once the beta builds of iOS 18 rollout, or if Apple provides more details, we’ll try to share how RCS on an iPhone might look and work.
- UPDATE 1: Apple showed off a screenshot of RCS in action, saying it will “bring richer media and delivery and read receipts for those who don’t use iMessage.” As you can see, the bubbles will still be green if you aren’t sending from an iPhone or other Apple devices, but we knew that. That’s not news. Only iMessage messages get blue bubbles and RCS is just an advanced text message.
June 10, 2024
Google Messages and RCS to Soon Let You Text 911
In emergency situations, making a call to 911 might not always be possible. What if you had an alternative way to contact 911, like through a messaging app? Hey, that’s happening later this year, during the winter, through Google Messages.

In a brief announcement today, Google said that it is partnering with RapidSOS to allow users in areas with text-to-911 capabilities to send RCS messages to 911. This will be a gradual rollout, but that rollout will bring another method of safety communication to your phone.

With RCS messaging to 911 services, you get some pretty important benefits, since RCS is an advanced messaging solution that can offer more than just SMS (because yes, you can already SMS to 911 in some areas). Those benefits are:
- Delivery confirmation and reply indicators: When you use RCS to send a message to 911, you’ll get confirmation of message delivery and can also see if someone is actively replying to your message.
- Precise location sharing: Through RCS, you can also precisely share your location and other info, which could make finding you in an emergency an easier task.
- High-res photo media sharing: Depending on your situation, you may want to send photos or videos in a quality that truly represents what’s happening. Again, RCS can do this while SMS would typically share a lower-resolution of media.
Google says it is working with other partners in the industry to expand RCS-to-911 because their goal is to make it hte standard for messaging emergency services.

Again, this is scheduled to rollout this winter.

// Google
June 6, 2024
Official: RCS Arrives for iPhone This Fall

When news broke in late 2023 that Apple would bring RCS to iPhone owners, there was no specific timeframe for its availability. This week, Google has gone ahead and apparently confirmed that its coming this fall, thanks to a new graphic on its Messages website.

Google writes that, “Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024. Once that happens, it will mean a better messaging experience for everyone.”

By saying this fall, we get the feeling that means we’ll see this as part of iOS 18, currently penciled for release around September. We may hear more at WWDC, which is only a few months away.

In the meantime, what RCS on iPhones means is, when an iPhone texts an Android, the experience should be much, much better. We’re talking photos and videos that don’t look like they were shot using a potato, group chats, typing indicators, and plenty else. It should be quite revolutionary for both platforms, though, the Green Bubble shall remain.

Mark the calendars, people.

// 9to5Google

March 29, 2024
Verizon Switches to Google’s Jibe for RCS

The final carrier has joined the party – Verizon will use Google’s Jibe Platform to power its Rich Communication Services (RCS) after reaching a deal of some sort. This follows similar switches by AT&T and T-Mobile last year.

Details are limited so far, but Verizon shared the news with us today, saying that the move to Google’s Jibe will “enable all new features, such as read receipts, and allow real interoperability with RCS on other networks.” The last part of that quote is a pretty big deal, as it means sending RCS messages to T-Mobile or AT&T customers should work so much better once Jibe is live.

Out of the gate, when RCS started making its way into US carriers, all of the carriers chose their own RCS platforms. That meant similar features to what you might find on Google’s Jibe, but without the “real” interoperability between carriers who were using other RCS platforms. It was kind of a mess that even started with the 3 carriers announcing they’d create their own client at one point, before quickly calling it quits on that idea.

Once we have more on this developing story, we’ll provide an update.

February 1, 2024
Want to Edit Sent Google Messages? Google Might Soon Let You

I can’t recall the exact moment it happened – probably during the early days of Twitter – but the initial cries for editable Tweets seemed to quickly move their way toward regular messaging platforms. People were typing faster than ever or autocorrect had become even more of a menace, and folks wanted to be able correct their incorrect messages.

Over time we have seen Tweets that are editable, as well as editable messages in WhatsApp, Google Chat, and Telegram. There are likely more, but those are the few coming to mind at the moment. People like to edit stuff, that’s clear.

For Google Messages, the same feature could soon be coming, according to TheSpAndroid, who dove into a recent Google Messages update and found hints of the idea in testing. There are hidden flags within a Messages beta build from late November that show Google working on letting you edit messages.

For now, this feature can’t be enabled and isn’t working, so it seems that Google is still in the process of figuring it out or at least building it out. That buildout could include edit history too, so if you want to see previous messages from someone who may have edited out history, it should be there.

Again, this isn’t live and Google hasn’t announced it, so we’ll do our best to let you know should message editing ever go live in Google Messages.

December 12, 2023
Google Messages Hits 1 Billion RCS Users, Unlocks New Features

Google announced this morning that it has reached 1 billion RCS users in Google Messages, a major milestone, with only more RCS users set to be coming soon. Before we go any further, a round of high fives to all of us for sticking with RCS over the years, with the first mention of it on Droid Life being back in 2016.

To celebrate this occasion, Google is detailing a suite of new features, all designed to upgrade the user experience when messaging with RCS. There’s Photomoji, which can turn any photo on your phone into a reaction using on-device AI, as well as Voice Moods. With this feature, you can add an expression to your voice messages.

With new Screen Effects, all users need to do is simply type special phrases like “it’s snowing” or “I love you” to unlock a special animation. Google has hidden 15+ Screen Effects and is challenging users to find them all. Similar to other chatting apps, Messages is also adding Custom Bubbles, which allows users to customize their entire chat screen. This means it’s not all about green and blue bubbles anymore. Now you won’t be able to tell what color bubble your friend is.

You’ll also find Reaction Effects and Animated Emoji. With Reaction Effects, you’ll see even more immersion when reacting to a friends message, and with Animated Emoji, you’ll see improved visuals when sending just emoji as a message. It’s similar to Telegram’s animated emoji feature.

All of these features are rolling out starting today in the Messages beta. If you aren’t signed up for that, you can do so here.

November 30, 2023
Your Green Bubble Stays Even With Apple Adopting RCS

The big news of the week is undoubtedly the news involving Apple and its adoption of RCS next year as the default messaging for conversations between people who don’t both own an iPhone. We’re talking about iPhone-to-Android messages that should no longer be such an awful experience, with modern features between the two, like high-resolution media shares, typing indicators, improved group chats, messaging over WiFi, etc. It’s all good news here and Apple should be given at least a slight head-nod of approval for making this move.

But there was apparently one question people needed to see answered more than any – what will the color of the messaging bubbles be when messages are sent and received over RCS? I thought this would be obvious, although apparently not because we’re now sharing the news. The bubbles will remain green, folks.

The crew at 9to5Mac, who broke the RCS news, have confirmed with Apple that the colors of bubbles between an iPhone and a non-iPhone will not change. That’s not surprising because Apple is simply upgrading the fallback technology for non-iMessage conversations to RCS from SMS. In other words, the color is an indication that an iPhone is messaging a device that isn’t an iPhone, so Apple is making it clear. Blue bubbles will remain when it is an iPhone-to-iPhone or iMessage-to-iMessage connection.

The big question now is whether colored bubbles will matter that much once RCS arrives in Apple Messages? I know that there is the obnoxious bullying surrounding the color of bubbles between the most insecure garbage humans on Earth, but my understanding is that the original complaints started because green bubbles meant that group chats and other features didn’t work and frustrated iPhone owners. With RCS, we’re hoping those issues are somehow fixed to make the color of the bubble less important. Although, this is Apple we’re talking about, so don’t expect them to all of a sudden treat non-iPhone owners with respect. Apple knows the power of iMessage.

Is there any chance Apple does this properly?

November 17, 2023
Apple Says It Will Support RCS in Messages in 2024

In one of the most surprising moves of the year, Apple has committed to bringing RCS to the iPhone and Messages in 2024. Feel to read that again, but yes, Apple has apparently adopted RCS and will bring it to the iPhone over the coming year.

Through a statement released to 9to5Mac, Apple says it will adopt the RCS Universal Profile that is the standard across the smartphone world and is the upgraded version of SMS and MMS texting. They also acknowledged that their implementation of RCS will “work alongside iMessage” as the best messaging system for Apple users.

Here’s the full statement:

Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association. We believe 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.

To be clear here, this is not Apple saying it will open up iMessage to users outside of its own ecosystem. It is instead doing what Google has been pressuring them to do, which is adopt RCS as the fallback messaging technology when an iPhone user messages an Android user.

This all goes back to the green vs. blue bubble scenario, but it really means that messaging between an iPhone and an Android phone should just work better. RCS is an upgraded platform that allows for better group chats, typing indicators, high-res media sharing, location sharing, and more. It’s more secure as well, although Apple seems to think it is not as secure as iMessage. They could be right, who knows.

This is quite big. We could still have obnoxious bubble color wars, but at least the messaging experience shouldn’t suck between iPhones and Pixels and Galaxy devices.

November 16, 2023