iOS 18.4 Brings RCS Support to Google Fi, Mint Mobile and Other T-Mobile MVNOs

The second beta of iOS 18.4 expands RCS messaging support to more carriers in the United States and other countries, according to multiple reports on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and other social media sites.

apple rcs thumb
After installing iOS 18.4, iPhone users with Mint Mobile, Google Fi, Ultra Mobile, Tello, and US Mobile are able to toggle on RCS messaging, and the functionality appears to be rolling out for all T-Mobile Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).

‌iPhone‌ users with a T-Mobile MVNO can be enabled through the Messages section of the Settings app. It appears that ‌RCS‌ access is only available for those running the second iOS 18.4 developer beta, not the public beta.

In France, Orange and Sosh also have ‌RCS‌ available with iOS 18.4 beta 2, according to iPhoneSoft, so ‌RCS‌ may also be rolling out worldwide for other carriers.

‌RCS‌ was enabled for major carriers with the launch of iOS 18, and it stands for Rich Communication Services. ‌RCS‌ is a communication protocol that improves messaging between ‌iPhone‌ and Android users, offering support for higher resolution photos and videos, larger file sizes, audio messages, Wi-Fi messaging, real-time typing indicators, read receipts, and more.

Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Tracking Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Expected to Launch This Year With Key New Feature

Sunday August 24, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to release new AirPods Pro this year, and he said the earbuds will have a key new feature: heart rate monitoring. From his Power On newsletter today, with emphasis added:As for Apple's other devices, there's a lot in the fall pipeline — though many of the new products are only incremental upgrades. There will be Apple Watch updates, faster Vision...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 12 New Features

Sunday August 24, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should be unveiled in a few more weeks, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman corroborated a rumor that iPhone 17 Pro models will be "available in an orange color." Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are...
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo

Apple Has Reportedly Considered Releasing iPhone 17 Air Bumper Case

Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber. Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have ...
awe dropping event

Apple Event Announced for September 9: 'Awe Dropping'

Tuesday August 26, 2025 9:01 am PDT by
Apple will hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, according to an announcement that went out today. The event will start at 10:00 a.m., with select members of the media invited to attend. At the September 2025 iPhone event, Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 lineup, which includes an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. It...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Just Weeks Away: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Wednesday August 20, 2025 6:44 am PDT by
We're only weeks away from Apple's annual iPhone event – rumored to take place on September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for enhancements,...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3: Four Key Design Changes Anticipated

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:05 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes. The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ...

Top Rated Comments

swrobel Avatar
25 weeks ago
No idea why this requires an iOS update to enable, but here we are...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
25 weeks ago

It makes me feel like maybe I’m not alone see how many issues other people are having using RCS. Group chats with android users keep splitting for me, I have 3 of the same group chat split out and random people responding to each one. It’s been a mess so far. Definitely was one of the biggest features I was looking forward to on iOS 18.
Now you can see why Apple proceeded cautiously with implementing RCS support. The protocol is a mess. Hopefully Apple's involvement will bring improvements.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
25 weeks ago
iOS 18.4 Brings RCS Support to Google Fi, Mint Mobile and Other T-Mobile MVNOs

After installing iOS 18.4, iPhone users with Mint Mobile, Google Fi, Ultra Mobile, Tello, and US Mobile are able to toggle on RCS messaging, and the functionality appears to be rolling out for all T-Mobile Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).

It appears that RCS access is only available for those running the second iOS 18.4 developer beta, not the public beta.
This isn't new. I have Mint Mobile and I already have RCS toggled on with iOS 18.3.1
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
25 weeks ago
Why would this be tied to OS versions? RCS is standard, doesn’t seem to make sense that Apple would need to make network-specific OS changes.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
segfaultdotorg Avatar
25 weeks ago
Tim Apple,

Please make the RCS messages blue, or we'll sue for discrimination because minorities are more likely to have an Android device.

Sincerely,
America's Class Action Attorneys (TM)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefan8254 Avatar
25 weeks ago

Wouldn't that be nice! I mean were SIM cards THAT bad?
Yes please. I don't mind the idea of esims per se. I just wish hot swapping was more normalized. Apple has a built in method to do it for some carriers, but I wish it would come to all (especially mint please ?)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)