Apple has announced that it will be adopting the RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging standard. This will bring a wide range of iMessage-style features to messaging between iPhone and Android users, such as read receipts, typing indicators, high-quality images and videos, and the ability to share location.
Apple says that RCS will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users. However, iMessage will not be open up to other platforms. Instead, Apple is adopting RCS separately from iMessage.
Apple also reiterates that iMessage is far more secure and privacy-friendly than RCS. RCS is not currently supported as strong as iMessage, and Apple is working with the GSMA members on ways to improve the RCS protocol.
The adoption of RCS is a significant change for Apple, which has long resisted adding support for the standard. The company has argued that iMessage is a superior messaging platform and that adding RCS would only complicate the messaging experience for its users.
However, Apple has faced increasing pressure from regulators and competitors to adopt RCS. In particular, the European Union is considering legislation that would require Apple to make iMessage interoperable with other messaging platforms.
In addition, Google has been pushing for wider adoption of RCS, and the company’s Messages app is the only major messaging app that supports the standard.
Apple’s decision to adopt RCS is likely a result of this pressure, as well as the fact that RCS has become a more mature platform than it once was. RCS is now supported by a majority of Android devices and carriers, and it offers a number of features that are comparable to those of iMessage.
The adoption of RCS is a positive development for iPhone and Android users, as it will make it easier for them to communicate with each other. However, it is important to note that Apple is not opening up iMessage to other platforms. Instead, Apple is adopting RCS as a separate messaging standard.
It remains to be seen whether Apple will eventually open up iMessage to other platforms, but the adoption of RCS is a step in the right direction.