The GSM Association (GSMA)which represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide, has in recent days the introduction of the RCS standard was welcomed with enthusiasm of advanced messaging also on Apple’s iOS operating systemthanks to the iOS 18 Release on smartphones iPhone compatible.
Lo standard Rich Communication Services (RCS) It is a mobile telephony protocol that aims to replace traditional SMS or MMS, with advanced messaging features, such as the ability to send high-definition media files.
Additionally, the standard includes support for Read confirmationat the advanced group messaging and to the Encryption for chatsallowing to obtain a experience comparable to that of messaging apps, such as WhatsApp.
As already reported by MondoMobileWeblast September 16, 2024 Apple ha iOS 18 officially releasedthe update for the iPhone operating systemintroducing various new features.
In particular, thanks to iOS 18, The iPhone Messages app now supports the RCS standard (Rich Communication Services)which allows you to send multimedia files, and take advantage of all the other advanced messaging features, even to those who do not have an Apple device.
According to the company, this novelty “improves the experience and reliability of group messaging compared to SMS and MMS”.
The adoption of the RCS standard also on iOS devices has been commented on as stated by the GSMA, in particular by Tom Van Pelt, Technical Director of GSMAwhich last September 17, 2024 ha released the following statement:
Today, we celebrate a significant milestone in the evolution of messaging with the launch of Rich Communication Services (RCS) support on iPhone with the release of iOS 18.
This launch is the culmination of years of collaboration between mobile operators, device manufacturers and technology providers. It represents a step forward in bringing RCS’ feature-rich messaging to more users on both iOS and Android.
With RCS Universal Profile now available on iOS and Android, users can take advantage of features like typing indicators, read receipts, high-quality media sharing, and improved group messaging when communicating with contacts on other platforms.
Now users on both platforms can enjoy a richer, more reliable and seamless messaging experience than SMS and MMS.
While this is an important milestone, it is just the beginning. The next important milestone is for RCS Universal Profile to add important user protections such as interoperable end-to-end encryption.
This will be the first deployment of standardized and interoperable messaging encryption across different computing platforms, addressing significant technical challenges such as key federation and cryptographically enforced group membership.
Additionally, users will benefit from stronger protections against scams, fraud, and other security threats.
We look forward to continuing to collaborate across the mobile ecosystem to advance the RCS standard with interoperable end-to-end encryption to keep all RCS messages private and secure.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this technology.
This is a a very sensitive topic especially in the US market, where iMessage (the system that allows you to exchange text and multimedia messages for free between iPhone users) It is widely used and so far allowed the use of advanced messaging only between Apple users, while in the case of chats with Android users the switch was made to traditional SMSidentifying those who do not use iMessage with a green “bubble”.
In this regard, Android has been asking Apple to introduce support for the RCS standard for some time nowto enable the same type of advanced messaging to Android smartphone users.
Now, with the adoption of the RCS standard also on Apple’s iOS operating systemthose who use an iPhone will be able to Send free and advanced messages to both iPhone and Android users.
With this news, In the Messages app there is a text that indicates whether you are about to send a text message. (which may be paid) or a free RCS message.
In any case, To use RCS standard messaging, your telephone operator must support it.
Finally, it should be noted that on the Messages app of iPhones the distinction remains between messages sent via iMessage to other iPhone users (blue “bubble”) and messages (both SMS and free messages via RCS) sent to users with Android smartphones (green “bubble”).
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