In a surprising move, Apple has announced its adoption of the RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging standard. This feature, set to launch via a software update later next year, will introduce a range of iMessage-style features to messaging between iPhone and Android users. The decision comes amidst regulatory pressure and competition from Google and Samsung, coinciding with the continued development and maturity of RCS as a platform.
RCS will bring iMessage-style features to cross-platform messaging, including read receipts, typing indicators, high-quality image and video sharing, and more. Apple’s implementation of RCS will also enable users to share their location within text threads, functioning over mobile data or Wi-Fi. Despite this move, iMessage will remain the primary messaging platform for communication between iPhone users, with RCS supplanting SMS and MMS separately from iMessage.
Apple emphasizes the superior security and privacy features of iMessage compared to RCS. iMessage boasts end-to-end encryption, recently enhanced with Advanced Data Protection for Messages in iCloud. In contrast, RCS lacks encryption as robust as iMessage’s.
Apple’s decision to adopt RCS follows years of pressure from competitors, such as Samsung and Google. While the company has maintained its focus on iMessage, it has made improvements to the SMS experience between iPhone and Android devices, including enhanced support for Tapbacks in iOS 16 and features like threaded replies and message editing in iOS 17.
Apple intends to collaborate with GSMA members to enhance the RCS protocol further, with a specific emphasis on improving the security and encryption of RCS messages. Notably, Apple has stated that it will not employ proprietary end-to-end encryption on top of RCS, concentrating on enhancing the RCS standard itself.
