According to reports, Apple Inc. plans to adopt a technology standard next year to make text message transmission between iPhone and Android devices smoother.
Although a series of companies, including Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., have urged Apple to adopt this technology, the company has postponed the RCS standard for over a year. RCS, abbreviated as Rich Communication Suite, is an upgraded version of Standard Short Message (SMS) and Multimedia Message (MMS) supported by the Global Association of Mobile Communication Systems - GSM Association.
Compared to traditional SMS or MMS information, it can provide a richer and better communication experience. The information will be sent through Wi Fi or mobile data according to the RCS protocol. In short, RCS is equivalent to upgraded SMS and MMS, with the biggest improvement being that it allows users to send high-definition images, videos, and GIFs. In addition to regular text information, RCS can also send multiple files.
For example, Apple users will be able to send text messages to Android users over Wi Fi rather than just cellular networks. They can also send larger video and photo files, making it easier to operate group chats and determine whether information is being received and read.
Currently, text message communication between iPhone phones mainly uses iMessage service, and the user experience is very smooth. In contrast, Android devices may encounter various issues when sending text messages to iPhone, such as poor compressed video quality, lack of read receipts, and other headaches.
In fact, Apple has always been protecting its iMessage system. Apple CEO Tim Cook stated last year that Apple does not want to spend too much effort improving the SMS experience between iPhone and Android devices because Apple users have not made such a request. He also suggests that those who want to better text with their family buy an iPhone.
Now, Apple stated in a statement: "Later next year, we will increase support for the RCS universal profile, which is currently released by the GSM Association. We believe that the RCS universal profile will provide a better interoperability experience compared to SMS or MMS
This will work together with iMessage, which will continue to provide Apple users with the best and safest messaging experience, "Apple added.
Nowadays, iPhone users know that they are texting another Apple user because the chat box is blue, while Android contacts have turned old-fashioned green. It is currently unclear whether this format will change after Apple adopts RCS. The company may plan to release it as part of next year's iOS 18 release.
Google responded in a statement, "We are pleased to see Apple take the first step in embracing RCS today. We welcome Apple's participation in our ongoing collaboration with GSMA to develop RCS, make messaging more fair and secure, and look forward to working with them to achieve this goal on iOS in a way that suits everyone