Google accidentally shares time frame for RCS coming to iPhone

Google has “accidentally” dropped a clue on its Android website that suggests Apple might moving to implement their promised RCS implementation this fall according to a report from 9to5 Google. While the news that Apple is bringing RCS to iMessage isn’t new, per se, finally having a date attached to the effort gives us at least a firmer timeline for this to actually happen.

For those unaware, RCS is basically the next-gen replacement for MMS/SMS texting. It brings features we’ve had on messaging apps for ages like read receipts, typing indicators, high-quality photos and videos, better group chats, and even end-to-end encryption – all directly within your default texting app. That app on the Android side of things is Google Messages, and Google’s been trumpeting this modernized messaging platform for years at this point.

Up until recently, Apple has refused to play nice with RCS on iMessage, choosing to stick with SMS/MMS as the backup for messages that arrive from non-Apple phones. This is what creates the frustrating experience where messages between iPhones (iMessage IMs to be specific) are a great experience, but messages sent to and from Android devices get downgraded to the decades-old SMS protocol.

iMessage RCS in Fall 2024

For multiple reasons that most definitely include pressure from the EU, Apple finally gave in and stated at the end of 2023 that they would finally add RCS (a messaging standard just like email, phone calls, and old-school SMS) to iMessage at some point in 2024. Now we might have a firmer timeline.

According to Google’s Android site (in a section that has since been removed), Apple apparently has agreed to RCS adoption set to happen in the fall of 2024: likely coming to iOS 18. While the section of the website 9to5 Google grabbed screenshots of is now gone, Tech Crunch did verify that the wording in the now-deleted section is still present in the source code.

So, mark your calendars for fall when we’ll finally have a more-unified messaging option between Android and iPhone via our built-in text apps. The blue/green bubble stigma probably won’t fully disappear, but this change will be huge for overall smoother communication for everyone. No more blurry videos or photos sent from Android to iPhones, group chats should actually work properly, and simple things like read-receipts will make this silly issue have far less weight in the future. It’s a long-overdue move, and smartphones across the board will be better for it.