Apple ’s Messages app has surely come a long way . When thefirst iPhone launchedin 2007 , it could only direct SMS — there were n’t even picture message . Then it got MMS protocol support in iPhone OS 3.0 with the iPhone 3GS . With iPhone OS 5.0 , Apple follow through its own iMessage New World chat protocol , gain it leisurely for Apple users to communicate with other Apple twist users .

However , when it come to messaging Android users , Apple sweep up its feet for the retentive prison term , sticking with SMS and MMS , which are n’t code and do n’t offer full - quality photograph and video sending . It also sparked the whole blue bubble versus green house of cards war .

In 2024 , though , Apple in the end fetch peace byadding Rich Communication Services ( RCS)toiOS 18 . This is a characteristic I ’ve been waiting years for , and it has made message much easier for me and my non - iPhone - using champion and family . Here ’s why RCS has been a game - changer for me and my family .

Finally, no more pixelated images and videos

I ’ve always been a sound photo taker with my iPhone , but ever since becoming a parent a few geezerhood ago , my smartphone tv camera use has goneway up . Before my kid , I did n’t take many videos , but now there are so many more mo where a still image just wo n’t do .

I frequently chat with my sister , the only Android user in my immediate folk , through messages . We often share photos and video recording , especially of our pets . But whenever we did , the videos were send out through MMS , mean they were the size of a postage stamp and fantastically pixelated and blurry , like from a potato phone in the early 2000s . It got to the point where we would n’t even send each other video clip ; instead , we mostly just relied on uploading to something like Google Photos or iCloud and then sharing the nexus .

With iOS 18 , Apple finally implement RCS support in Messages , making it easier to communicate with Android users . RCS supports gamey - firmness of purpose picture and TV , and this has been my favorite use case for RCS on myiPhone 16 professional .

Again , I takea lotof photos and videos of my girl and her shenanigans . For deal mickle of mass medium , I typically upload them all to an app I ’ve been using for the preceding three geezerhood called Family Album , where all my invite house members can view our picture and picture .

But sometimes , I want to make certain that my sister has seen something , whether that ’s my girl or our kat or dog — or even something cute I arrive across that she would wish . I ’ve really appreciated have RCS support now because I know the trope and videos I send her no longer look like they were necessitate with a impudent phone from the 2000s . Even in group chats , RCS documentation has made a difference of opinion because those prototype used to be somewhat low quality , but now everything that gets send looks great .

It’s the little things

Though the high - firmness image and picture are the biggest reason why I love having RCS , it ’s not the only one .

Another affair I like is the fact that you may not only see when an RCS substance was hand over , interchangeable to SMS , but you may also see if it has been read as well . Of course , this is pendant on the drug user enable read receipt , but in the case of my sis , it ’s been ready to hand to see when she actually read my message instead of me just wondering if she saw it or not .

It ’s also deserving remembering that RCS on the iPhone is in its infancy powerful now . The full - resolve photos and videos are the principal highlight and read receipt are the second - most important feature of speech to me . It ’s swell that we have RCS finally on the iPhone , but there ’s still room for improvement . Currently , RCS betweenAndroidandiPhonedoes not have conclusion - to - end encoding ( E2EE ) , which is a bummer .

When RCS is sent from Android to Android , there is some encoding on those messages to keep them dependable from hindrance . The same E2EE applies to iMessage , which is Apple ’s proprietary electronic messaging protocol . It vocalise like the administration behind RCS is working on implementing E2EE between Android and iPhone , though there is no count on time frame yet .

I also like that RCS messages were a different colour than green , which is also used for regular SMS . It would be much prosperous to differentiate between SMS and RCS , similar to SMS / RCS and iMessage .

Despite the flaws , having RCS has been beneficial and worth the wait . Some people may just use iMessage exclusively because everyone they talk to may use an iPhone . But for me , when I have some menage and protagonist who employ Android and wo n’t switch , have RCS has by all odds been a great timber of life advance .