After years of anticipation, Apple finally confirmed last year that it would adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging standard in 2024. Now Google is providing a little more clarity on when iPhone users can take advantage of this modern messaging. experience.
On a new webpage dedicated to the Messages app, Google says RCS support is “coming to iOS soon,” specifically stating: The expected timeline for Apple’s long-awaited RCS integration is set for “fall 2024.” This fits with the vague “late next year” window Apple mentioned when announcing RCS in November 2022.
The company also notes that animated emoji reactions are “coming soon with RCS” and suggests that future RCS specifications may include support for this messaging feature, which is already available in many apps. Although the long wait for RCS on iPhones has been frustrating for cross-platform messaging, it looks like the dominoes are finally falling in the right direction. Apple’s surrender to adopt the carrier-interoperable RCS standard is a major victory for users who will finally be entitled to a consistent and secure messaging experience between iOS and Android.