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Apple supports RCS on iOS 18

With Apple’s release of iOS 18.1, RCS and RBM are now both available on iOS devices. Find out all you need to know about this new development and what it could mean for the future of messaging.

Monika Lončarić
Senior Content Marketing Specialist

Is RCS messaging available on Apple iOS?

Apple has enabled P2P RCS messaging with the release of iOS 18, as announced at Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC24), and A2P RCS Business Messaging with the release of iOS 18.1 beta in October 2024.

iOS 18 has arrived, bringing RCS messaging to Apple users.

As of September 16th, you can download and install iOS 18, and Android and iPhone users can finally enjoy rich messaging features and seamless communication between their devices – the war between the blue and green message bubbles might be coming to an end.

Which carriers support RCS messaging?

Currently, RCS messaging is available in the following countries through these carriers:

Belgium: BASE, Orange, Proximus, Telenet
France: Bouygues Telecom, Coriolis, Free Mobile, Lycamobile, NRJ Mobile, Orange
Germany: O2, Telekom, Vodafone
Spain: Telefonica Movistar, Orange, Pepephone, Vodafone, Yoigo (Masmovil)
United Kingdom: 3, BT / EE, Lycamobile, O2, Sky, Vodafone
Canada: Bell, Eastlink, Fido, Fizz, Freedom Mobile, Rogers, SaskTel, Telus, Videotron, Virgin Mobile
United States: AT&T, C Spire, Google Fi, Spectrum, T-Mobile, TracFone / Straight Talk, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless, Xfinity Mobile

How to enable RCS on your iPhone

First, you have to update your iOS software to iOS 18. If you live in one of the countries listed above and are a customer of one of the supporting carriers, you should be able to turn on RCS messaging (beta).

In iPhone settings, select Messages, then RCS Messaging, and enable the channel to start chatting with Android users using rich messaging.

In iPhone settings, select Messages, then RCS Messaging, and enable the channel to start chatting with Android users using rich messaging.

Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association. We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.

Jacqueline Roy

Apple spokesperson, statement shared with The Verge

RCS as a fallback channel for iMessage

Here is what the new messaging methods look like:

iMessage: There are no changes to iMessage in iOS 18. It will remain the preferred channel for messaging between Apple devices using blue bubbles. However, RCS will be the new fallback when iMessage isn’t an option.
SMS or MMS: would be the message type iPhone and Android users would rely on to exchange messages, but these channels are not as rich or engaging as RCS, making conversing with people who own different devices more difficult.
RCS: means non-iOS users can finally enjoy rich messaging perks when communicating with Apple users, but Apple-Android conversations will stay as green bubbles. Since RCS relies on data usage, SMS will remain the final fallback option when a basic cell connection is the only option.

What does this mean for RCS Business Messaging?

As of October, 28^th 2024, RCS Business Messaging (RBM) is also live on all Apple devices. Just like with RCS person-to-person messaging (P2P), RBM availability is limited to the carriers that currently support the channel. As more and more telecoms adopt RCS into 2025, we expect the adoption of RBM as a conversational channel for brands to connect with Apple and Android users on a native rich messaging channel.

For the carriers that support RBM, there will be no additional actions needed, meaning RCS enabled users are able to receive messages by default on RBM without enabling any additional settings.

The iOS 18.1 release enabled the beta version of RBM and allowed some brands to connect with customers over the channel. As we continue to do research and testing on the channel, we are learning more about how conversational experiences can be built on iPhones using RBM.

Take a look at how RBM suits the iPhone interface:

Openreach can send RCS Business Messages (beta version) over iOS18 to users who have enabled the messaging channel.

A snapshot of RCS Business Messages

As an Android-only channel, RBM saw consistent growth year-over-year on the Infobip platform:

Total global growth in RCS messages on the Infobip platform in 2023 was a massive 358%.

Now as a native channel on both Apple and Android devices, RCS Business Messaging has the potential to match the massive reach of SMS paired with rich messaging features similar to WhatsApp and other OTT channels.

RCS Business Messaging on iPhone iOS 18

RCS Business Messaging is considered the next step in the evolution of SMS. It’s used for both P2P and A2P communication and combines the reach of SMS through MNOs with rich-messaging features for elevated customer experiences.

RCS Business Message features

Verified sender status
Custom branded messages
Rich media: text, images, GIFs, audio, video, documents, location
Carousels
Suggested actions to messages (quick replies)

How does RCS Business Messaging compare to SMS and Apple Messages for Business?

All three channels are popular for their own reasons and can help businesses achieve certain goals around their business messaging. Let’s take a closer look at RCS vs SMS for business messaging and compare these channels to Apple Messages for Business (AMB).

	SMS	RCS	AMB
Available on all devices?	Yes	Android, soon on iOS devices	Only iOS devices
Type of messaging	P2P, A2P, P2A	P2P, A2P, P2A	P2P, P2A
Rich media	No	Yes	Yes
Branding	No	Yes	Yes
Character limit	160	160+	160+
File sharing	No	Yes	Yes
Internet connection	No	Yes	Yes

Full comparison of RCS vs AMB

Full comparison of RCS vs SMS

How secure is RBM?

Secure business messaging is crucial as fraud scams are currently on the rise. RCS is regulated by Mobile Network Operators who must give approval for enterprises to send messages. These rigorous measures manage brand verification and anti-SPAM rules, making RBM a preferred solution for trusted brands and businesses seeking secure and reliable communication channels with their customers.

With this move, Apple made a strong „statement“ that it will move to proactive participation in the whole RCS ecosystem, which means it will become, jointly with Google and Telcos, a key driver of the RCS expansion . We can expect a much faster adoption and expansion of reach and functionalities. Telcos, under the umbrella of GSMA, will remain a key stabilizing factor to put equality on a scale between Telcos and Apple / Google to ensure:

1. end users get the best possible native service experience across operating systems,
2. complying to the highest European privacy and security standards and
3. following the European Commission’s path to a fairer and more contestable digital economy, as outlined in the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Putting all of the stated to context implies more innovation and upgrades (group chats, media and other rich features) in upcoming time and, potentially, the expansion into A2P messaging (RBM).

Deutsche Telekom

Why did Apple choose to support RCS on iPhone?

The motivations behind supporting RCS on iPhones haven’t been officially disclosed. However, there are a few key factors that could have influenced their decision:

EU regulations

In 2022, the EU approved the Digital Markets Act, which requires tech companies like Apple to ensure that basic features in their instant messaging services can work together by 2024. That would mean that iMessage and the App Store would have to become available to everyone. Failure to adhere to these rules could result in fines of up to 20% of their total revenue, which is a pretty good reason to consider support for RCS.

RCS gaining popularity

As rich messaging becomes a standard for everyday communication, the usage of RCS is expected to grow. There were 1.2 billion RCS users in 2022 and Juniper Research estimated that by 2026 there would be 3.8 billion users. That would make up 40% of the world’s smartphone users. But when you add the potential of all iOS users having access to RCS, these numbers are likely to skyrocket, making RCS a major contender in the messaging ecosystem.

Enhancing user experience

To date, rich messaging between Android and iPhone users could be the cause of frustration. When an iOS user sends an image message to an Android user, it is delivered as an MMS. However, MMS may not be covered by their regular data plan, leading to additional charges.

Enabling RCS means that there will finally be seamless communication between Apple and Android users. For carriers, this transition might lead to a decrease in P2P MMS revenue, possibly prompting them to consider the adoption of RCS to create an additional revenue stream.

[Juniper Research Leaderboard 2024]