Last November, Apple may have pulled off the second biggest surprise of the year when it announced that the iPhone would support Rich Communication Services (RCS) starting in the second half of 2024. Google has long had it on its wish list and ran high-profile ads in Times Square asking Apple to support it.
Apple officially announced RCS support
Although Android users who send messages via the Google Messages app have the same features, such as read receipts, typing indicators, end-to-end encryption, and the receipt of high-quality images, Apple sees the iMessage platform as a key iPhone selling point. But the problem for both platforms is that iPhone users get these features only when chatting with other iPhone users and Android users get these features only when messaging other RCS users on Android.
When it comes to cross-platform messaging, this is done over old-school SMS texts that limit the length of conversations, and the images received are decidedly low quality at best. If you are an Android user and have ever received a video from your friend or family member using an iPhone, you will know exactly what we are talking about. But when Apple starts supporting RCS, those in the middle of a cross-platform chat can see high-quality images, read receipts, typing indicators, and longer messages.