Earlier this week, Apple rolled out iOS 18 Beta 2 with help for Wealthy Communication Providers (within the US). The expertise of utilizing Google Messages to speak to somebody with an iPhone over RCS is fairly simple, although it’s clearly the primary take.
After updating to iOS 18 Beta 2, an “RCS Messaging” toggle (Settings > Apps > Messages) is enabled by default should you’re on a appropriate provider, like AT&T, T-Cell, or Verizon. Proper now, RCS on iOS can’t be enabled should you’re on an MVNO, like Google Fi. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter what provider the Android recipient is on as soon as RCS is energetic in your iPhone.
In Google Messages, opening an iPhone dialog will reveal “RCS message” within the textual content area. Supply/learn receipts and typing indicators, in addition to higher-resolution photographs and movies, simply work.
iPhone and Android dialog over RCS
Google Messages will mark that the dialog isn’t end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) with a lock icon that contains a slash. “Message Particulars” will be aware the “Kind” as “Wealthy Communication Service Message” as a substitute of “Finish-to-Finish Encrypted Wealthy Communication Service message.”
Google presents its personal E2EE for 1:1 and group conversations for Messages on Android. Apple desires encryption to be added to the RCS Common Profile commonplace, so Google will presumably transfer to regardless of the business group lands on sooner or later.
In the meantime, going to a dialog’s Particulars web page reveals some lacking settings. When speaking to anyone with an iPhone, there’s no “Solely ship SMS & MMS messages” on/off toggle for that thread. There’s additionally no card detailing E2EE standing normally (except they switched SIMs from Android to iOS and it was beforehand energetic).
Android vs. iOS
In group conversations, you possibly can change the identify and have that sync to all members, whereas there’s additionally “Depart group.”
Forward of the iOS 18 launch within the fall, Google will presumably replace Messages to handle these inconsistencies. In any other case, the expertise is fairly simple, and may have actually occurred a lot sooner.
Extra on Google Messages:
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