Google is just as excited about RCS on iPhone as we are, so much so that it can’t wait to tell Android users about it. In a new website touting the benefits of Google Messages, Google accidentally teased RCS coming to iOS “in fall 2024.”
The since-deleted reference (first spotted by 9to5Google) is a thinly veiled reference to iOS 18, which will arrive in September alongside the new iPhones. When Apple announced in November that RCS would be coming to the iPhone “later next year,” we all assumed that meant it would arrive as an iOS 18 feature and now we have confirmation.
The main question that remains is whether Apple will allow it on all iOS 18 phones or just iPhone 16 models. When announcing RCS, Apple simply said that RCS would “work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.” This doesn’t necessarily mean it will work with all older phones, although there shouldn’t be any technical reason why it would be limited only to new devices, and it would be unusual for Apple to announce a feature exclusive to a new iPhone long before its unveiling.
Google hasn’t provided any details on specific RCS features in iOS other than that they will bring “a better messaging experience for everyone.” Google is one of the largest providers of RCS through its Messaging app on Android, so it makes sense that Google would be involved in the process.
Google notes on the page that RCS conversations between Google Messages users are “protected by end-to-end encryption,” something that hasn’t been promised for iOS. Although Google offers encryption in its own app, it does so with its own proprietary RCS extension; Apple is working with the RCS consortium to make end-to-end encryption part of the standard, which will protect all messages sent from the Messages app on an iPhone.
