Google Fi waiting on Apple to enable RCS for iPhone users

Abner Li | Sep 16 2024 - 12:40 pm PT

iOS 18 is rolling out today with RCS to improve the Android-iPhone messaging experience, but support is not yet enabled for all carriers, including Google Fi Wireless.

In a statement, Google tells us that “only Apple has the ability to enable RCS interoperability for iPhone users on Fi.” The Google MVNO has done all the necessary work to support iPhone RCS on its end.

As of the iOS 18 launch today, RCS is enabled on the big US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon). Another MVNO we’re not seeing it available on is Mint Mobile.

Behind-the-scenes, our colleagues at 9to5Mac explain how carriers have to send an updated file, which is known as the Carrier Bundle, to Apple noting that RCS support is enabled. The iPhone maker can then distribute that file as an over-the-air update that doesn’t require a whole new version of the OS.

Update: Apple has since added “RCS messaging” to the “Wireless carrier support and features for iPhone” help article.

“We have been working for a long time to accelerate the adoption of RCS, and are excited that Apple is taking steps to adopt RCS with the launch of iOS 18. At launch, Fi users with an Android phone will be able to communicate over RCS with iPhone users that have RCS interoperability enabled. Only Apple has the ability to enable RCS interoperability for iPhone users on Fi, and our hope is that they will do so in the near future. ”

— Google spokesperson

That said, as of today, Google Fi subscribers on Android can “communicate over RCS with iPhone users that have RCS interoperability enabled.”