Ever since Apple shocked the tech group with its announcement that it will assist RCS, we’ve been ready for the day when it will be obtainable. Now that day has arrived, you may lastly apply it to your iPhone, right here’s the way it works.
Up to date March 5, 2025: The newest iOS 18.4 beta provides RCS assist for extra carriers, together with most of these within the U.S. that haven’t supported it till now.
What’s RCS?
RCS stands for Wealthy Communications Companies, and it’s meant to be a substitute for the decades-old SMS/MMS texting customary.
You’ll be able to type of consider it as iMessage lite for everybody. It’s a platform-neutral customary adopted by the GSM Affiliation to do messaging over your web information connection fairly than strictly your provider community. It supplies lots of the similar advantages, together with typing indicators, full-resolution pictures and movies, correct group chats, supply and browse receipts, and higher safety.
The usual has been pushed closely by Google and is commonplace on Android telephones. The Google Messages app supplies RCS assist on virtually any Android telephone utilizing Google’s personal RCS servers and even consists of some extensions so as to add new options (most notably higher encryption) that aren’t a part of the core GSM customary.
All you’ll want to know as an iPhone consumer is that RCS will make your conversations with Android customers far more nice.
What RCS options will iOS 18 assist?
In iOS 18, RCS brings quite a few options that have been beforehand solely obtainable to iMessage customers:
- Learn receipts
- Typing indicators
- Tapbacks/reactions
- Excessive-resolution pictures and movies
- Voice memos
Textual content results (slam, loud, mild, invisible ink, and so on.) don’t seem on the dialog’s Android aspect. The recipient will get a message saying “(despatched with the Slam impact)” or the like. Inline replies additionally don’t work.
RCS messages aren’t encrypted, both. When utilizing the Google Messages app on an Android telephone and Google’s personal RCS servers, encryption is supported due to a proprietary extension to the usual that Google got here up with. Apple is counting on provider assist for the RCS customary as adopted by the GSM Affiliation, which doesn’t have encryption assist. Nonetheless, Apple says they wish to work with the GSM to incorporate it in a future model of the usual.
Will my messages with Android customers nonetheless be inexperienced?
Sure! Blue bubbles are for iMessages solely and are there that can assist you know that your messages have extraordinarily robust encryption, amongst different unique options. So, the inexperienced bubble conversations aren’t going wherever. However they’ll be much less irritating.
How do I do know if I’ve RCS on my iPhone?
The best means is to open a message with somebody and have a look at the textual content entry space:
- It’ll say iMessage if you happen to’re sending an iMessage (however the blue bubbles might be an apparent indication).
- It’ll say Textual content Message • SMS if it’s sending a textual content message.
- It’ll say Textual content Message • RCS if it’s an RCS message.
You too can examine in Settings to see if RCS is enabled, which we’ll describe under. When you don’t see the iOS 18 replace, examine to ensure your iPhone helps iOS 18.
Does my provider must assist RCS? How do I do know if mine does?
Your provider wants to offer RCS companies in accordance with the GSM Affiliation’s customary for it to work in your iPhone, and also you in fact must run iOS 18.
In the USA, the most important carriers Verizon, T-Cellular, and AT&T have all enabled RCS on iPhones operating iOS 18, although if you happen to simply put in iOS 18 you’ll have to attend a day or so for the provisioning codes to be despatched to your telephone.
The scenario is a little more nebulous for MVNO carriers that piggyback off these main carriers, like Seen, Xfinity, Mint Cellular, Metro, or Cricket. With the iOS 18.4 replace, assist for RCS is being added for the final holdout carriers—Google Fi, Metro, Mint Cellular, and others. As soon as your iPhone is up to date to iOS 18.4 or later, it ought to assist RCS on almost any U.S. provider.
There isn’t any recognized technique to “drive” RCS onto your iPhone. But when your provider helps it and you’ve got iOS 18 and don’t see the choice, it could assist to energy off your iPhone and energy it on once more.
Apple has a really helpful Service Help web page that lists all of the provider options for numerous carriers all over the world, large and small. You’ll be able to see in case your provider helps RCS there (together with different options).
How do I allow or disable RCS in Settings?
Open Settings, scroll right down to the underside and faucet Apps, then scroll down to seek out and choose Messages. Underneath the “Textual content Messaging” heading, you’ll see an RCS Messaging menu whether it is supported by your provider and iPhone. Choose it after which toggle on RCS to allow it within the Messages app.
You’ll be able to examine in case your provider helps RCS by opening Settings, choosing Basic, after which About. Scroll right down to the “eSIM/Community” part. You’ll see a line for “Service.” Faucet on it to modify that line to “IMS Standing.” In case your provider helps RCS, the choice will present Voice, SMS & RCS. If not, it is going to solely present Voice & SMS.
