Apple to finally bring RCS support to iPhone next year: Report
iPhone will be gaining RCS support starting next year. RCS will enable group chats, text over Wi-Fi with Android. Nothing has added iMessage compatibility to Nothing Phones.
Apple is reportedly working towards improving the texting experience between iPhone and Android devices by adopting the RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol in 2024. Along with various messaging capabilities including read receipts, typing indications, sharing high-quality photos and videos, and more, the new RCS standard will function with iMessage. RCS can operate over Wi-Fi or mobile data. The RCS messaging protocol is currently supported by Android phones and carriers. It's expected that a software update would bring the capability to iPhone models in the upcoming year.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) support for the iPhone will begin to roll out in the upcoming year, according to a report from 9to5Mac. The report quotes the statement — "Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association. We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users".
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Next year, a software update for iPhone models will include the RCS feature, which will bring a plethora of iMessage-like functionalities to chatting between Android and iPhone users, such as typing indications and read receipts. With the new protocol, users will also be able to send and receive high-resolution images and movies between iPhone and Android smartphones.
People will be able to swiftly manage group discussions and share their position in text threads once iPhone devices support RCS. Unlike standard SMS, RCS is compatible with both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Similar to SMS messages, RCS communications may be shown in green.
For almost a year, Apple has delayed the GSM Association-backed RCS standard in spite of repeated pleas from Google and Samsung. Nationwide Android phone providers have already embraced the messaging standard. The integration of RCS with the iPhone is expected to facilitate equitable communication across Android and iPhone models. Nevertheless, iMessage will only be available on Apple products.
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