With the update in late 2024, iPhone messages are expected to stop being green and blue. Currently, messages between Apple users are blue, while those between other operating systems are green.
In a statement to the 9to5mac blog, an Apple spokesperson said the company believes RCS will provide better interoperability for cross-platform messaging.
“Later next year, we will add support for RCS Universal Profile, the current GSM Association standard. We believe RCS Universal Profile will deliver a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. It will work alongside iMessage, which continues to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users,” the statement said.
RCS brings iMessage-like features to cross-messaging between iPhone and Android. These include read receipts, typing indicators, high-quality images and videos…
Apple's implementation of RCS also allows users to share their location with others in a message thread. Unlike traditional SMS, RCS works over cellular data or Wi-Fi.
iMessage isn't going away, it's going to continue to be the foundation for communication between all iPhone users. RCS is simply a complement to SMS and MMS and exists independently of iMessage. Same goes for SMS and MMS.
Apple's move doesn't mean the company is opening up iMessage to other platforms. Instead, the company is only accepting RCS.
Apple also emphasizes that iMessage is more secure and privacy-friendly than RCS. iMessage is end-to-end encrypted, while RCS does not implement strong encryption like iMessage.
For years, Apple has been under pressure from a number of rivals, including Samsung and Google, to adopt RCS. Before today, the iPhone maker resisted, focusing even more heavily on iMessage.
Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook even said “Buy your mom an iPhone” when asked about the lackluster SMS experience. The company has since rolled out some improvements to messaging between iPhone and Android, though.
Apple said it will work with members of the GSM Association to further improve the RCS protocol. This includes enhancing the security and encryption of RCS messages.
According to The Verge, the change appears to be in response to pressure from the European Digital Market Act (DMA). The regulation requires large companies like Apple to make their services interoperable with other platforms.
In September, the European Commission opened an investigation into iMessage to determine whether it should be designated a “core platform service.” However, Apple argued that iMessage was not popular enough there to warrant regulation.
“Everyone should have access to secure, modern messaging without worrying about what phone they’re messaging to,” Google Senior Vice President Hiroshi Lockheimer wrote on X after Apple’s RCS adoption was announced. “Glad to see Apple join our ongoing effort with the GSMA on RCS to make messaging better for everyone.”
(According to 9to5mac, The Verge)
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