### **Bridging the Divide: APPLE Embraces RCS in iOS 18, Enhancing iPhone-Android Messages**

That’s set to change with the addition of Rich Communication Services (RCS) support for iPhones as part of the forthcoming iOS 18 update. The news could open up a whole new world of messaging experiences for iPhone users worldwide when the feature launches with the iPhone 16 series. Read More ▶ APPLE will officially bring RCS support to iPhone users worldwide by updating the mobile operating system for iPhones to iOS 18. And the news couldn’t come sooner. Messaging between iPhone and Android platforms has always been somewhat problematic given the different technologies employed by the two. However, APPLE is poised to revolutionise messaging with the inclusion of RCS.

**H2: The Dawn of a New Messaging Era with APPLE's RCS Support**

For years, anyone with an interest in the tech world has had a favourite ‘soap’: iMessage vs Google Messages app. The end is in sight now that iOS 18, released on 16 September to coincide with the new iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, will finally support RCS. This is a coup for APPLE and a cause for celebration in the ongoing #GetTheMessage campaign from Google, which has been trying to encourage more interoperability in messaging services.

**H3: Activating RCS on Your iPhone: A Quick Guide**

On an iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging, and turn it on. If you have an Android, you’ll probably have RCS turned on by default, although it doesn’t hurt to check the Google Messages app’s settings.

**H2: Unveiling the Perks of RCS in APPLE's Ecosystem**

**H3: Group Chats Reimagined**

Perhaps most importantly, RCS’s integration into iOS 18 fixes the problem of using group chat. There’s a reason that people planning group events stop using Messages in favour of WhatsApp or Discord. If an iPhone user adds an Android user to an Messages group chat, the whole group chat downgrades to basic MMS. No more tapbacks or high-res photos. With RCS, everyone in the group can use RCS, not just the iPhone users but also the Android ones.

**H3: Enhanced Media Sharing**

The SMS/MMS standards meant we were used to sharing media (usually poor-quality media) between iPhones and Android phones, but most everyone reverts to other apps that allow for larger files as long as the recipients can view it on their side. With RCS, that limit is 105MB.

**H3: The Assurance of Read Receipts and Typing Indicators**

Read receipts and typing indicators bring the most welcome aspects of direct communication with another iPhone user to cross-platform messaging. God, did we miss them. All in all, iOS 18 has closed yet another gap between the iPhone and Android.

**H3: Location Sharing and Wi-Fi Messaging**

The feature of APPLE’s RCS implementation to share location pins in conversations is one move in that direction; and indeed it is already possible to send an RCS message over Wi-Fi, removing the need to resort to the cellular network, as was required for MMS.

**H2: The Shortcomings of APPLE’s RCS Rollout**

And while taking that step forward is to be applauded, it’s not without its drawbacks – particularly the lack of end-to-end encryption in APPLE’s implementation of RCS; features omitted on the part of APPLE including video calling mean that it’s not universally better than iMessage; and perhaps most frustrating of all, the fact that RCS hasn’t removed the ‘green bubble’ shame remains.

**H2: Looking Forward: The Future of iPhone and Android Messaging**

Though limited in its current iteration with iOS 18, RCS marks an important first step to years of breaking down the barriers in digital communication. With the arrival of iPhone 16, later iterations of the software, along with new devices, will likely focus on building upon these foundational steps.

**H2: The Core: Understanding APPLE**

At its core, APPLE is an innovation- and integration-based company, and its late embrace of RCS is in keeping with APPLE’s desire to offer a consistent user-experience. And whether you’re an iPhone fan or an Android enthusiast intrigued by this, seeing the growing path of RCS shows that things are getting better for messaging, and that’s good news for all of us. What was once a very exclusive conversation between iMessage and Android Messages users has just gotten a lot more inclusive.