Apple surprised everyone recently by confirming its decision to bring RCS messages to iPhone users. Many people were definitely excited to hear the development, but more than anyone else it has to be Google which would have been pleased to hear the news.
RCS or Rich Communication Services has been around for years but Google has decided to own the platform in the past few years, asking more tech brands to join the green side.
Many people have been wondering how does the support for RCS on iPhones from 2024 make a difference to Android users and could it be the iMessage rival that many of us have been waiting for Apple to bring? Here’s what the RCS messages does, how it works and is it any different from iMessage.
RCS was supposed to be the new avatar of SMS messages and this was further pushed by the GSM Association (GSMA) to all the telecom operators and even the phone brands. However, the platform never got the right attention before Google decided to take matters into its hands and seek more attention.
RCS Messages vs iMessage – Are They Different?
RCS messaging is the Android version of iMessage and its features are similar to those you have on apps like WhatsApp. It supports multimedia messages, rich text content, lets you share files, videos and even images. If you go by these features, you could say RCS messages are a strong link between iPhone and Android users, allowing them to share multimedia, and files that is not possible between RCS and iMessage.
RCS messages are claimed to be secure, with the help of client protocol encryption standards. In fact, RCS messages are said to be spam-free as well. Now, you must be wondering why Apple is bringing RCS to iPhones if the features are the same on the iMessage?
The first reason has to be Apple’s ongoing tussle with the European Union (EU) which has made its impact by forcing the company to adopt USB C charging for iPhones, which would have been unthinkable a few years back.
The regulator is also pushing the company to open iPhones to other app stores in the form of sideloading, as well as make iPhones interoperable with other platforms like Android which becomes possible if the company adopts RCS Messages. This way, Apple doesn’t have to open iMessage to other platforms and still manage to comply with the rules.
We’re eager to see how Apple plans to support RCS messages for iPhones but here’s the thing, the whole saga of RCS vs iMessage is only relevant in the US where iPhones are the market leader. So, for other countries, WhatsApp will continue to be the most important platform which billions of users rely on in the non-US markets.
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