RCS Coming to Messages in iOS 18 for Improved Texts With Android Users
Apple today confirmed that it plans to implement support for Rich Communication Services, or RCS, in iOS 18 this fall. Apple software chief Craig Federighi confirmed RCS support when introducing new features for the iPhone at the WWDC keynote event.
We've known about Apple's plans to adopt RCS since last November, but Apple only gave a vague "later in 2024" timeline for adoption so it was unclear exactly when the feature might roll out. RCS replaces SMS/MMS as the default communication protocol on the iPhone.
RCS has already been adopted by Google, U.S. smartphone carriers, and other companies, so Apple is a little late to the party. It doesn't change much for iMessage, but it does overhaul the way iPhones interact with Android devices. RCS improves texting with Android users, adding support for features that have previously been limited to iMessage. Some of the additions:
- Support for higher resolution photos and videos.
- Support for larger file sizes and file sharing.
- Audio messages.
- Cross-platform emoji reactions.
- Real-time typing indicators.
- Read receipts.
- Ability to send messages over cellular or Wi-Fi (SMS is cellular only). There is no cost to send an RCS message over Wi-Fi.
- Improved group chats.
It is not clear if Apple will introduce RCS support during the iOS 18 beta testing period or hold the feature until the fall public launch of the update, but we do know that it is indeed tied to iOS 18 at this point.
Popular Stories
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code.
In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak.
As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas.
We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features.
Transfer to Android
Apple is making it simpler...
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station.
According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu.
As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
Apple is preparing to bring support for its Car Keys feature to Toyota vehicles, evidence uncovered by MacRumors suggests.
Toyota introduced its own Digital Key feature as part of the available Remote Connect package several years ago, which allows drivers to use their smartphone as a key to access and drive the vehicle. Now, the company appears to be adding support for Apple Car Keys, with...
