Apple Planning Major Changes to Green Bubbles on iPhones Next Year
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices.
Apple's statement announcing the plans:
Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association. We believe the 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.
The "later next year" timeframe suggests that RCS support will be added in iOS 18, but Apple's exact plans remain to be seen.
Apple confirmed that RCS messages will have green bubbles, while iPhone-to-iPhone messages will continue to rely on iMessage and have blue bubbles. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but the SMS standard used currently will continue to exist as a fallback.
Apple has yet to share additional details, but RCS in the Messages app will likely support the following messaging features:
- Higher-resolution photos and videos
- Audio messages
- Typing indicators
- Read receipts
- Wi-Fi messaging between iPhones and Android devices
- Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
- Improved encryption compared to SMS
These features are already available for iMessage, and many of them are also available in third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on the iPhone next year will extend these features to the built-in Messages app. However, older iPhones with an outdated iOS version will not have access to the new functionality.
For more details, read our guide breaking down Apple's plans to adopt RCS in 2024.
Popular Stories
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...
