iOS 18 beta adds RCS support

RCS support has finally landed on the iPhone, for beta testers at least. The latest developer beta for iOS 18 was released on June 24, and the update included a toggle to turn on RCS messaging in the Messages app. However, the feature wasn’t functional when the beta was released.

All that has now changed as several beta testers have posted images and videos on social media showing RCS messaging working in the wild. The feature is currently limited to specific carriers in the US, but hopefully this will expand by the time the official version of iOS 18 is released in the fall.

What can you do with RCS messaging on iPhone?

Many iMessage features will now work with Android phones

RCS stands for Rich Communication Services and is an updated communication protocol that’s designed to replace the SMS and MMS messaging that we’ve been using for years to send text messages. RCS messages are able to carry more information, and this allows access to many of the features that were already possible between iPhones but have been sorely lacking when messaging Android phones.

In the iOS 18 beta, it’s now possible to see typing indicators when someone is typing a message from an Android phone. You can also see read receipts across Android and iPhone messages, so you’ll know when your Apple-hating friend has read your message.

Tapbacks are also now possible between platforms. These are the reaction emojis such as a thumbs up or haha that you can use to react to a message you receive. You can now send these from iPhone to Android and vice versa using RCS messaging.

Group chats using RCS now seem to work without issue between iPhones and Android phones, and you can also send high-resolution images between platforms using RCS. Another major benefit is that you can send messages over Wi-Fi even if you don’t have a mobile network connection.

Not every feature in iMessage is currently possible in RCS, however. It’s not possible to send messages with effects from your iPhone to an Android phone. If you do, the Android phone will just show some additional text stating that the message was sent with a specific effect, but it won’t actually display the effect. It’s also not possible to unsend messages that you’ve just sent, which is possible with messages sent between iPhones.

There’s one other thing that you don’t get with RCS messages. Messages sent from Android phones still don’t get blue bubbles. If you were hoping RCS would finally mean blue bubbles from Android phones, you’re out of luck.

How can I get RCS messaging on iPhone?

You’ll need the developer beta and the right carrier

Apple

RCS messaging won’t be coming to most iPhones until the official release of iOS 18 which is likely to arrive in September. In order to use RCS messaging now, you’ll need to install the developer beta for iOS 18. Early betas have the potential to brick your iPhone and some third-party apps may not work either, so you’ll need to weigh up just how desperate you are to try out RCS messaging.

You’ll also need to be located in the US, and using one of the carriers that have turned on support for RCS messaging on iPhone. Currently, it seems that Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are the only carriers that are working.