Last year, Apple announced that it’s finally adopting Rich Communication Services (RCS) on iOS. On top of the traditional text messaging, RCS will enable more features between iPhone and Android devices, including high quality media sharing, read receipts, and more.
Now, Google may have inadvertently revealed the timeframe for when Apple will implement RCS support on the iPhone. As first spotted by 9to5Google, Google published a new landing page 58 for its Messages app wherein the RCS segment reads, “Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024.”
The fall season in the US starts this year on September 22nd. That’s roughly the same month when the next iPhone 16 (running iOS 18) is expected to launch. This suggests that RCS will be one of the key highlights of the iPhone 16 lineup or iOS 18 itself.
Speaking of iOS 18, WWDC 2024 is scheduled on June 10th. Naturally, it will undergo beta testing, and if ever Apple announces RCS support, then beta testers are first to experience the improved messaging experience between the two major mobile operating systems.
Green bubbles are here to stay, though. As explained in our previous article, Apple asserts that RCS simply replaces SMS/MMS services which will “exist separately from iMessage.”
UPDATE: Upon checking the new Google Messages landing page, the said segment under RCS is now removed.
