Topline
After a long holdout, Apple will finally adopt the RCS messaging standard for iPhones through a software update next year, the company told multiple news outlets, bringing a wider range of texting features to conversations between iPhone and Android users—after Google and Samsung pressured Apple to improve cross-platform messaging.
Apple said iPhone will support RCS messaging next year, possibly putting an end to the blue versus … [+] green bubble debate. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Key Facts
A spokesperson for Apple told Bloomberg the company believes RCS “will offer a better interoperability experience” with Android devices, compared to MMS and SMS messaging standards, which iPhone currently supports.
RCS “will work alongside iMessage,” the current messaging system between iPhone users, the spokesperson said, arguing that iMessage is more secure than RCS, and SMS and MMS will still be available as a backup.
RCS stands for Rich Communication Services, and was chosen in 2008 by a mobile network trade group called the GSM Association as a potential replacement for the old SMS texting system, which stands for Short Message Service.
RCS operates over the internet, meaning it can support features such as sending GIFs, high-resolution photos and videos, group messaging, and end-to-end encryption, whereas SMS operates over a carrier’s bandwidth and can’t support certain features.
A Google spokesperson told Forbes the company is “happy to see Apple take their first step today by coming on board to embrace RCS,” and its work with GSMA to “make messaging more equitable and secure.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What We Don’t Know
It’s not clear if Android messages will still show up as green bubbles for iPhones when the systems become more compatible.
Key Background
Google kickstarted its #GetTheMessage campaign last August, urging Apple to adopt the RCS messaging standard. Since then, it’s launched other campaigns calling on Apple to switch to what it calls “the modern industry standard,” including in a “happy birthday” post for SMS, which turned 30 last December, where it said iPhones were “stuck in the 90s.” Last September, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he doesn’t hear Apple users complaining about Android-to-iPhone messaging. At the beginning of the year, Google displayed a New Year-themed ad in Las Vegas that said, “the ball may have dropped on 2022, but you don’t have to drop the ball on fixing your pixelated photos and videos” and included lines of RCS code “to get the ball rolling,” Business Insider reported. Legal documents from Apple’s lawsuit with Epic Games in 2021 revealed that Apple leadership was concerned about adopting RCS, with Apple executive Phil Schiller saying, “Moving iMessage to Android will hurt us more than help us.”
News Peg
Apple’s move to adopt RCS for iPhones might be linked to a new European Union law meant to restrict tech companies from creating an uneven playing field. Under the Digital Markets Act, iMessage and other messaging services are required to allow other companies a level of interoperability if they are large and popular, The Verge reported.
Further Reading
RCS: What it is and why you might want it (The Verge)
iMessage and Bing avoid strict DMA rules, for now (The Verge)
