For years, the iPhone's two-tier texting system has been a hot topic. iPhone-to-iPhone text messages in the Messages app are blue and enjoy full encryption and more robust multimedia features such as animations. But messages to and from Android devices are simply standard SMS text messages and are marked with a green tint. Apple's segregated messaging platform has been the subject of controversy and even sparked talks of regulatory intervention. But with Apple's recent confirmation that it will begin supporting the new RCS texting standard in iOS 18, is the iPhone messaging playing field about to level out? Or are we simply exchanging one acronym for another?
Confused? Don't worry. We're about to lay out what could change with Apple's adoption of the GSMA next-generation messaging protocol.
What are SMS?
Short message service (SMS) is one of the most ubiquitous messaging protocols on the planet. It dates back to the early days of mobile technology. In December 1992, Neil Papworth, then an engineer at Vodafone, technology-63825894″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:sent the first SMS text message;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>sent the first SMS text message when he wished his boss “Merry Christmas.” At the beginning of 2011, approximately 80 percent of all mobile phone users worldwide (approximately 3.5 billion people) sent SMS messages each month.
Today, however, the standard has some notable drawbacks. SMS messages are limited to 160 characters and texts you send cannot include photos, videos, audio or GIFs. To do this, mobile phones have long relied on a supporting protocol known as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), but this too has its technical limitations, including regrettably small limits on message sizes. SMS also does not support end-to-end encryption.
But for all the ways SMS seems dated in an era dominated by instant messaging platforms, it has one defining advantage: SMS messages are routed through your carrier's mobile network, meaning it's not A data plan is required to use the technology. That fact has meant that SMS has often served as an alternative to more advanced protocols, including Apple's iMessage.
What is RCS?
RCS is short for Rich Communication Services, although it is also sometimes marketed as “Advanced Messaging.” Either way, it is often positioned as a next-generation replacement for SMS and MMS. RCS allows users to take advantage of many features that were previously exclusive to major messaging platforms like WhatsApp.
For example, RCS Universal Profile includes full support for read receipts and write flags. It can also facilitate convenient group chats and allow users to send high-resolution images, videos, and audio clips. Earlier this year, Google's implementation of RCS also offered end-to-end encryption (E2EE) by default for individual and group chats.
Unlike SMS text messages, RCS messages are routed over a mobile data connection or Wi-Fi link, and SMS works as an alternative. For that reason, the old protocol is not likely to go away anytime soon.
One thing that is important to remember about RCS is that it is not and has never been intended as a replacement or competitor to instant messaging applications. In essence, RCS is a communication protocol between mobile operators and between a phone and an operator. To take advantage of RCS it is not necessary to register for a new service. As long as your phone and carrier support RCS and you are using a supported app like Google MessagesYou can take advantage of everything the protocol has to offer, as long as, of course, the person or people you send the message to meet those same requirements.
How does iMessage fit into all this?
Apple announced iMessage in June 2011, a few months before Steve Jobs died later that year. Unlike RCS, iMessage is a proprietary messaging protocol controlled exclusively by Apple and available (except for occasional, unofficial workarounds) only on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac devices. Starting in 2024 with the iOS 18 update , Apple plans to integrate support for RCS into its Messages app. At the time of writing, the two protocols do not communicate with each other. As such, Apple's Messages app will default to SMS/MMS when users try to send text messages and media files to someone with an Android phone.
From the perspective of an iMessage user, it may seem like Android users are stuck in a bygone era of messaging, although the latter is not to blame for the situation. Due to iMessage's reliance on SMS/MMS for communication with Android, media files end up pixelated, there are no read receipts or write indicators, and forget about trying to involve multiple iPhone and Android users in a single group chat.
How do we get here?
Although work on RCS began before Apple announced iMessage, the protocol had a major drawback that doomed it to a slow implementation. RCS is a multi-stakeholder project which includes participation from the GSMA, a trade body representing the interests of the wider mobile communications industry. In 2015, Google took a more active role in the proliferation of RCS when acquired Jibe Mobile. With Jibe's technology as a foundation, it is effectively Google that provides the glue that binds the RCS ecosystem together, but for a long time, the company did a poor job of aligning everyone involved in RCS towards a shared goal.
In fact, the early days of RCS were marked by false starts, with some carriers, including a group consisting of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, forming a short-lived joint venture to push the protocol before eventually aligning with Google. Even Samsung did its thing for a while before it also finally agreed to make Google Messages the default messaging app Ships to phones in the US.
For that reason, Apple has had little reason to adopt RCS. After all, why would you give a gift to a clumsy competitor? And in 2022, it seemed like there was little to no chance of the situation changing anytime soon. “I don't hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy into that,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said at that year's Code Conference when asked about RCS messaging. “Buy your mom an iPhone” was his last word on the matter.
But it was also last year when the European Union passed its historic Digital Services and Markets Act (DMA). The legislation requires that “gatekeepers” not favor their own systems or limit the interoperability of third parties within them. Gatekeepers are any company that meets specific financial and usage requirements. Apple, according to the law, is one of those companies.
In the end, the EU ruled that in 2024 (although European regulators had plenty of other directives for other aspects of Apple's empire). However, despite complying with the regulations, Apple had done so. According to leading Apple expert John Gruber, Apple's biggest motivation may have been . But whatever the reason, it appears to be a done deal: Apple reaffirmed that RCS support is coming to the iPhone as part of iOS 18.
Does Apple's support for RCS mean the end of green text bubbles on the iPhone?
Unfortunately, the green bubbles are probably here to stay. The company noted in its original comment on RCS that iMessage “will continue to be the best, most secure messaging experience for Apple users.” That said, even if you take that statement to mean that iMessage will continue to display texts from non-Apple devices differently than those sent from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, Apple's adoption of RCS should lead to a better experience. user interface for both iOS and Android. users.
Again, Apple needs to provide details, but it's easy to imagine a future where its Messages app, thanks to RCS, correctly displays high-resolution images and videos sent from Android phones and allows iOS and Android users to participate in chats. group. without something breaking. Apple also said in its original November 2023 announcement that it would work with GSMA members to improve the existing Universal Profile protocol, focusing on adding end-to-end encryption to the standard.
Of course, it's harder to answer whether that interoperability ends the stigma around green bubbles.
Editor's note: This story was originally published in November 2023 and has been updated to reflect new information.
