The era of video calling between iPhone and Android may begin with RCS 4.0

The RCS Universal Profile 4.0 standard announced by GSMA paves the way for video calls between iPhone and Android users directly via the messaging application. This feature, called “Messaging-Initiated Video Calls” or MIVC, aims to turn one-on-one or group chats into video calls with a single touch. Frankly, this development has the potential to make the communication experience more integrated, which has remained fragmented between platforms for years. However, Apple and Google have not yet announced whether they will support this feature, so we cannot say for sure when you will see this experience.

How will video calling from within messaging work?

In fact, MIVC allows you to communicate via video without interrupting the chat flow, rather than initiating a “call” in the classical sense. You can start a video call during a chat, and even if the people you invite cannot answer the call at that moment, they can join the ongoing call later. In addition, the system integrates call history directly into the chat timeline, so the context of the conversation is not lost. We see that GSMA particularly emphasizes group chats, because users on different platforms meeting in the same video call has been quite limited until now.

RCS Universal Profile 4.0 is not just limited to video calling. Text formatting support is coming, which directly affects the user experience. You can now write your messages in bold, italic or strikethrough. In addition, higher quality photo, video and audio sharing are also important parts of the standard. Long story short, we can easily say that RCS has passed another important threshold in the process of replacing classic SMS and MMS. What will Apple and Google do?

Apple has recently been more open about bringing RCS support to the iPhone, and we even know that it has conducted end-to-end encryption tests. Google has already been actively supporting RCS on the Android side for a long time. However, for more advanced features such as MIVC to be implemented, both companies must adopt the standard. However, operator support and regional compatibility also directly affect the process, so even if it is technically possible, it may take time to become widespread. What does it mean for users?

In addition, the idea of ​​platform-independent video calling can directly change daily communication habits. Today, many people still turn to alternative applications such as FaceTime, WhatsApp or Zoom because built-in messaging applications do not offer this flexibility. If MIVC becomes widely available, the need for additional administration may be significantly reduced. On the other hand, how quickly Apple and Google will integrate this feature and even how they will position it with their own services will be decisive.

Long story short, the technical foundation seems ready, but you have to wait for the entire ecosystem to get going before you can get the real experience.