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On iOS 18, Apple finally delivers RCS. Will users care?
Is it still blue versus green?
On iOS 18, Apple will finally deliver RCS messaging to its iPhones and other devices. For years, iOS users could communicate seamlessly with other iOS users via iMessage, Apple’s proprietary text messaging protocol that adds reactions, read receipts, and more to the texting interface.
RCS does this too, only for Android.
For those trying to keep up with the jargon, here’s a simple breakdown.
SMS (Short Messaging Service): This is the most basic messaging service that has been around for a long time. It was introduced in the 1990s. It only allows short messages and doesn’t support media like photos or videos.
iMessage: This is Apple’s messaging service and works on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. You can send texts, photos, videos, and more. Because it uses cellular data and WiFi, you are able to send larger media files and delivered and read receipts. The indication that a message is sent with iMessage is that messages you send will be given a blue text bubble. Messages sent to a non-iOS device are in green.
RCS: This is a newer messaging standard that was meant to replace SMS. It supports sending larger file sizes and other media like videos and photos, reactions, and read receipts. However, unlike iMessage, it is meant to work across different devices regardless of brand. RCS does require that both devices have compatible devices and carriers that support it.
The iOS 18 beta that brings RCS to iPhone — and releases to everyone in the fall — has been out for a few weeks now. And it is such a superior experience to SMS.
Duh, we knew that, so you may be wondering why I’d even bother discussing this.
The “Green Bubble” Debate
Since becoming an iPhone user in 2016, I can say that I’ve been turned off a bit by the inconvenience of SMS texting someone who doesn’t have an iPhone. The messages were green, sure, but the experience wasn’t bad because of the color of my texts.
The experience sucked because SMS is such a garbage way to communicate. First of all, there are no reactions, read receipts, delivered notifications, or…
