Apple to support RCS messaging on iPhones in 2024, enhancing interoperability with Android

In a surprising announcement, it has been revealed that Apple plans to support Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging on iPhones in 2024. This decision comes after Apple's persistent reluctance to RCS, despite support from major firms like Google. Apple's adoption of the RCS Universal Profile aims to improve interoperability beyond traditional SMS or MMS capabilities, enabling advanced features such as read receipts, typing indicators, and high-resolution media and location sharing between iPhones and Android devices.

Apple clarified that RCS support will complement iMessage, but the introduction of RCS does not mean that Apple will make iMessage available to other platforms. Instead, RCS will replace SMS and MMS, while remaining separate from iMessage (so, still exclusive to Apple users, which likely means the everlasting green vs. blue bubble debate will persist, as it's highly unlikely that Apple will display RCS messages in blue).

The decision to adopt RCS may be due to regulatory pressure, particularly from the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires major firms to ensure their services are compatible with other platforms. The European Commission launched an investigation into iMessage in September to determine if it qualifies as a "core platform service" under the DMA. Apple disputes that iMessage's popularity in Europe warrants DMA regulation and plans to contest the government's regulation of its Apple App Store. Other apps like WhatsApp have also been compelled to adopt cross-platform interoperability to comply with DMA regulations.