According to BGR , at the recent WWDC 2024 developer conference, Apple officially confirmed the integration of the RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging standard into iOS 18, marking a major turning point in the messaging war between the Cupertino giant and Google.

While Android users have been waiting for this feature to come to iPhone for a long time, Apple seems to be reluctant to implement it until iOS 18. Even in beta 1, RCS is not enabled by default, leading many to question Apple's priority for this standard.

However, some users have discovered how to enable RCS on iOS 18 beta 1. They then interacted directly with their Android devices and uncovered the features that RCS brings to both platforms, such as read receipts, typing indicators, emoji reactions, and sending data. Notably, RCS also seems to work in group chats, but it still doesn't support read notifications.

Apple's delay in implementing RCS is believed to be due to the fact that it doesn't want to use Google's version of RCS, but instead wants to stick to its carrier standards. This could result in some RCS features not working in conversations between iPhone and Android.

Many believe that Apple only added RCS to the iPhone because the company was pressured by a new law in China that requires all phones sold there to support RCS.

Despite the controversy, Apple's support for RCS is still good news for users, promising a better messaging experience across platforms. However, with Apple's somewhat "reluctant" approach, whether RCS can reach its full potential on the iPhone remains a question.