As part of the developments in Apple, the iPhone is expected to support RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging universal profile, which is the newer standard published by the GSM Association.
According to a report by 9to5 Mac, the support will be completed by the end of 2024. The authorities have stated that this move will help enhance the experience in terms of interoperability compared to SMS and MMS.
However, iMessage will continue to be the best messaging service for Apple users and will work alongside this feature.
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RCS and Apple iMessage
RCS is a messaging standard endorsed by the GSMA, which can be considered an upgrade to the regular SMS service.
Developed by Apple, iMessage was launched in 2011 and will continue or grow beyond so that iMessages can be opened to non-Apple devices. iMessages are sent only between iPhones and other Apple devices. However, sending a message from iPhone to an Android phone will go like a regular SMS and show with a green bubble instead of a blue-coloured iMessage.
Initially, Apple was holding back from getting ahead with Rich Communication Services; however, with constant requests from Google and Samsung, sending and receiving messages becomes easier, irrespective of the type of phone.
What RCS Support Has to Offer?
The RCS support brings immense benefits with it as it supports high-resolution videos and images, encryption, typing indicators, read receipts, and more while communicating with an Android phone. Through this support, Apple users can share their locations in the conversations through text threads. These RCS messages will be seen as green, just like a regular SMS on an iPhone.
As per the report 9to5 Mac, the RCS support will work separately from the iMessage and replace the SMS and MMS. However, this is still at a nascent stage. The idea was cropped up by the persistence of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which affirms the leading names of the industry to create an interoperable system that works well with other platforms.
Over time, all the market leaders have made a move in this direction. Google and Samsung have been pushing Apple to add RCS support; Google even sent a letter to the European Commission to argue that iMessage needs to be considered a core platform service. One Plus also included iMessage style in some of its Android models.
Currently, the EU is pushing Apple to make the device more user-friendly; for instance, a common USB-C charging port should be included in phones to enhance convenience.
Impact on the User
While Apple users can still send messages to each other, it will be possible to send messages to other devices in a better way as the videos and pictures will be clearer and the user will be able to type messages, send receipts, send locations, etc. Apart from this, they will not be charged on a per message basis like an SMS or MMS, but the charges are as per the data usage.
Better User Experience: This move is a step towards embracing the advanced messaging between Apple users and non-iOS users so that it can support modern messaging.
Higher RCS Uptake: Globally, approximately 1.2 billion devices are supporting RCS. As per MEF data, there are 1.1 billion iPhones, which are less than the RCS devices, hence, there was an urgent need to create an alternative that allows a smooth conversation between the iPhone and Android users.
Regulation: The European Union legislation on the Digital Markets Act was already making plans to fulfill the need for messaging interconnection. Hence, this move has come at the right time to fulfill all these goals.
What to Expect?
The whole idea of this support is to ensure that everyone can experience the benefits of modern messaging irrespective of the model of the phone they are messaging to! This move will surely benefit everyone who faces a lot of issues like low-quality videos, images, and issues in encryption while sending messages from iPhone to Android.
With this, there is a huge scope for business messaging as communication can be done at a more personal level. However, there is still a lot of scope as it will take some time to reap the marketer’s interest to run a marketing campaign as they do through SMS. A lot needs to be done to boost the RCS channel for business messaging. Also, pricing will be an issue as it would take time and effort to put everything in place.
