Google briefly introduced a section of its new Google Messages page that claims Apple plans to roll out support for Rich Communications Services (RCS) for iPhone this fall. This indicates that the iPhone maker is likely to expand its RCS support in its upcoming iOS 18 update.
The page, first discovered by 9to5Google, provided details about the benefits of RCS. One of the sections was labeled “Coming soon to iOS” with the title “Better messaging for all.”
This card is not currently visible on the page, but the text indicates that it is still in the page's source code.
“Apple has announced that it will adopt RCS in the fall of 2024, which will improve the messaging experience for everyone,” the description reads.
Image credit: Google
Last November, Apple confirmed that it was working on adding support for RCS. At the time, the company didn't say when, but said compatibility would be “next year.”
For a long time, Google has been trying to nudge and nudge Apple into adding RCS to reduce the differentiation between “green bubbles and blue bubbles.” RCS doesn't solve that, but it does mean that an Android user will be able to send high-resolution media to his iPhone users.
Last year, Google announced that 1 billion people use RCS every month and announced new features for RCS, including improved audio quality for Profiles, Photomoji, and Voice Memos.
Google's partial disclosure of the iPhone's RCS compatibility timeline comes as the U.S. Department of Justice begins a legal battle with Apple over the Cupertino-based company's monopolistic practices. Notably, this lawsuit counts the “green bubble” as an issue that affects user security.