For those who’re working the iOS 18 developer beta, you’ll have observed your Android pals aren’t the identical inexperienced bubbles as they was once. Carriers have been steadily rolling out RCS assist on the backend, and loads of iPhone-wielding of us have already reported decade-long feuds being solved attributable to Apple acquiescing to the existence of the messaging protocol. It’s a lovely time to be alive!
The second iOS 18 developer beta options the brand new RCS functionality quietly introduced at WWDC 2024. These bravely braving the developer beta on a day by day driver can now ship wealthy messages to their Android brethren. Audio and video despatched between units will now not be compressed down. Group chats will now not be butchered and damaged as family and friends try to search out frequent floor, comparable to who will deliver the dessert to the gathering. And also you’ll see when an iPhone person has left you, pricey Android person, on learn.
9to5Mac experiences that just some U.S. carriers are at the moment on board with RCS. The majors, together with AT&T, T-Cell, and Verizon, are the one carriers rolling it out, possible in a bid to assist out these builders concentrating on apps for iOS 18.
If you’re, for some purpose—apart from creating an app—working the developer beta of iOS 18, you would possibly see an choice to toggle it on within the settings panel beneath Settings > Apps > Messages. If it’s not there, your present supplier hasn’t turned it on but. Preserve ready! And perhaps revert to a secure model of iOS!
What can be fascinating to see is whether or not customers will migrate again to the default messages app for inter-platform communication. As an illustration, I’ve most well-liked my WhatsApp expertise for sharing high-res messages with my iPhone-using peeps. However I additionally suppose they possible need to return to Apple Messages to talk with me, their one Android-using greatest good friend, the place they already chat with everybody else. We’ll see the way it lands when iOS 18 hits iPhones this fall.