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Apple recently introduced support for RCS on iOS. This is even though the feature has been around for years. The good news for iPhone users out living in the US is that if you want to make use of RCS messaging, especially if you’re not a fan of third-party messaging services, is that carrier support for RCS messaging on the iPhone has been expanded.
More carrier support
Unlike RCS messages sent between Android devices, iOS devices require carrier support for RCS. This is why despite Apple introducing RCS in iOS 18, not all iPhone users could take advantage of it. Thankfully, carrier support for RCS on the iPhone has expanded and now covers more carriers than before.
Prior to this, the only major US carriers offering RCS support for the iPhone included AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Now with this expanded RCS support on the iPhone, the carriers that support the messaging feature include: AT&T, Boost Mobile (requires iOS 18.2), C Spire, Consumer Cellular, Cricket, FirstNet, H20 Wireless, Metro by T-Mobile, PureTalk, Red Pocket, Spectrum Mobile, T-Mobile, TracFone / Straight Talk, US Cellular, Verizon, Visible, and Xfinity Mobile.
What’s interesting is that some carriers aren’t on the list that should be on the list. This includes both Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile. Both these carriers were acquired by T-Mobile earlier this year. This means that if T-Mobile supports RCS on iPhone, these carriers should too. It is unclear why there is a delay in support from both these carriers, but hopefully, support will come sooner rather than later.
Still lacking
While it is good news that Apple has caved in and decided to support RCS, the features on the iPhone are still lacking somewhat compared to Android. The main issue here would be encryption. On Android, RCS messages have support for end-to-end encryption. This is thanks to Google Messages which uses Google’s proprietary extensions.
Secondly, there are some features like text effects and reactions that might not have the same results between iOS and Android users. This is despite the fact that RCS is meant to be platform-neutral. There have also been reports of syncing issues between iOS and Android messages in group chats. Some users have reported issues like delayed typing indicators and inconsistent delivery notifications.
Apple’s decision to support RCS came as a result of regulatory pressure. It is possible that if Apple had their way, the company wouldn’t have even bothered. Apple would much prefer if users used its iMessage platform. While the company cites features like privacy and security, let’s face it, it’s just another way of Apple locking users into its ecosystem. This is similar to how BBM was an exclusive feature to BlackBerry devices back in the day.