Google says Apple will bring RCS support to iPhones in 'fall of 2024': Why it matters?

Apple shocked the world last year when it announced that it would be bringing support for RCS or Rich Communication Services to its iPhones and iPads. At the time, the company had confirmed that RCS support would arrive on all supported Apple devices ‘later next year’. Now, Google has spilled the beans on exactly when Apple will roll out RCS support on its devices.

In a new landing page on its Android website, the company confirmed that RCS support will arrive on Apple devices in the ‘fall of 2024’. “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,” Apple wrote on the landing page that has removed since the 9To5 Google first reported the development.

While nothing is set in stone at this point, but the development indicates that RCS support on Apple devices is likely to take place with the roll out of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 sometime between September and October this year. That is usually the time when Apple launches its next-generation of iPhone models and rolls out its next generation OS, which in this case would be the iPhone 16 series and iOS 18 respectively. That said, the official announcement from Apple could happen much earlier in June when the company hosts its annual developers’ conference, that is, the Apple WWDC 2024.

Image: 9To5 Google

But what is RCS and why is it important?

RCS is the successor to the SMS and MMS or Multimedia Messaging Service as we know them. SMS let users share text that is up to 160 characters long. MMS, on the other hand, let users share images, and audio and video files. Both, SMS and MMS, are not based on Internet Protocol or IP, which is why they don’t count against your data plan. However, there is a critical limitation with SMS and MMS. They don’t let users share dynamic messages, react with emojis, share customised emojis, and use AI-based features that most smartphones have today. They also lack security. Simply put, they are not up to date with the messaging needs of the present time. That is where RCS comes into picture.

RCS is like the new kid in the block. It is more secure and offers all the features that SMS and MMS don’t offer. It lets users share high-quality photos and videos and emojis. It also supports typing indicators and read receipts among others. Since it’s a universal standard, messages will show up uniformly all across apps irrespective of the device or messaging app. This means emoji reactions on the receiver’s phone or app will look exactly how it looks like on the sender’s device.

What this means for Apple users?

When Apple adopts RCS, messages that iPhone users send to Android devices or receive from Android devices will show up in iMessages uniformly, which isn’t the case right now.