In November, Apple announced that the iPhone would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app starting "later" in 2024, and Google has now revealed a more narrow timeframe.
In a since-deleted section of the revamped Google Messages web page, spotted by 9to5Google, Google said that Apple would be adopting RCS on the iPhone in the "fall of 2024." This timeframe suggests that RCS support will be added to the iPhone with iOS 18, which should be available in beta in June and released in September. At the latest, support should be added in iOS 18.1, which is likely to be released in October.
RCS support should result in the following improvements in the Messages app for conversations between iPhones and Android smartphones:
Higher-resolution photos and videos
Audio messages
Typing indicators
Read receipts
Wi-Fi messaging
Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
These modern features are already available for iMessage, and in many third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on the iPhone will extend the features to green bubbles in the Messages app.
Apple today announced an update to iCloud Shared Albums to allow friends and family on Android and Windows to join and contribute photos more conveniently, with support for full-resolution images.
The improvement for Android and Windows users removes a notable friction point for mixed-device groups, enabling users outside the Apple ecosystem to participate in shared albums via iCloud.com...
With the second beta of iOS 27, Apple added support for replying to a specific message in an RCS conversation with an Android user.
You can now long press on a message to get to the option to reply, and it works the same way that it does with iMessage.
iOS 27 also displays tapback/reaction emoji to images and videos properly. In iOS 26, it would use a text descriptor, such as [x loved...
Apple today announced a set of new communication-focused Apple Intelligence features, including contextual suggestions in Messages and a Call Context tool that surfaces relevant information from Mail when a user phones a business.
The new Messages features offer one-tap suggestions based on the content of a conversation. If a contact asks for photos, Messages can surface a suggestion to...
It’s sad that sites like The Verge and WSJ turned this into a green bubble social status thing for clicks instead of explaining what the actual issue is. This notion that teens have social anxiety because they show up as a green bubble on their friends phone is ridiculous. But annoyance because their group chat experience isn’t as good? That’s legit. I’m glad Apple is going to make that experience better.
Sounds like it will be RCS support but not full RCS functionality. Even without E2EE it is positive step.
Apple will be looking to standardize an E2EE solution rather than use Google's proprietary extensions. Really, Google is making this about themselves right now when it needs to be about an open standard.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
