Last November, Apple announced that it would bring support for improved RCS messages on iPhones; however, Apple simply stated that it would be available sometime in 2024. So we haven’t had a specific timeframe until recently.
According to 9to5Google, a since-deleted section of the overhauled Google Messages webpage indicates that iOS would adopt RCS in the “fall of 2024.” This would be in line with Apple’s timeline as Apple always introduces the next version of iOS in the summer, followed by the public release in September. This means that we may see Apple introducing RCS messages in iOS 18. If further development is needed for fixes, Apple may push the feature to iOS 18.1.
For several years, Apple has offered SMS messaging to communicate with Android users, which clearly shows several limitations compared to many advanced features found in iMessage. With upcoming support for RCS messaging, this will be a huge, welcome improvement for messaging Android users as RCS offers many similar features that have been available in iMessage and other third-party messaging apps, including:
- higher-resolution photos and videos
- audio messages
- typing indicators
- delivery/read receipts
- Wi-Fi messaging
Do note that RCS messages will still be in the green bubbles like SMS messages.
iOS 18 will be announced at WWDC 2024, followed by a public release in September.
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