Apple announced this Thursday that it will adopt the RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging standard on its devices. The deployment will materialize “at the end of next year” through a software update, so users, mainly in the United States, will have to be patient to enjoy the advantages of this movement.
It should be noted, however, that the arrival of this long-awaited feature does not mean that the Cupertino company is opening iMessage. The messaging platform will remain exclusive to the ecosystem of products of the firm led by Tim Cook, although the mechanics used to exchange messages between Android devices will significantly change.
Apple says ‘Hello’ to the RCS standard
The news has been confirmed by Apple itself, which, through a spokesperson, has provided the first details: “We believe that RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience 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.”
It is necessary to carefully analyze what the previous statement means. Apple’s official representative makes it clear that the RCS standard will be a complementary feature for the iPhone and other Apple devices, so iMessage will continue to be the main (and exclusive) means of communication. Now, let’s look at some practical examples.
When iPhone users exchange messages with Android users, they send traditional SMS or MMS. This means that many elements are lost along the way. can enrich the conversation, such as the “writing” indicator, the reading confirmation, among others. The arrival of RCS can significantly transform this scenario.
The standard should offer more features for iPhone and Android users who use their devices’ default messaging apps, although it’s unclear whether the latter’s bubbles will remain green. Let’s remember that this is very common in the United States, where WhatsApp, Telegram or other third-party apps are not so popular.
In this way, RCS will only come into play when messages are exchanged between different platforms. Whenever iPhone users exchange messages between ecosystem deviceseverything will be managed under the closed iMessage scheme, which boasts superior end-to-end encryption and advanced data protection (optional).
The announcement of the adoption of RCS comes after some moves that put pressure on the Cupertino company to expand iMessage interoperability. Google, for example, requested the intervention of the European Commission to make the system work with Android. Nothing, for its part, announced its own compatibility solution for Nothing 2.
Images: Mariia Shalabaieva