The worlds of Android and iOS just got a little chummier: At WWDC 2024, Apple announced — at last — support for the RCS messaging standard. And a few tweaks to Apple's Messages app to ensure that the experience of iPhone-to-iPhone messaging remains premium.
Android devices have supported RCS messaging for years, and Apple has stubbornly resisted bridging the two standards, which will make it simpler and more seamless to communicate across the two platforms. At the WWDC 2024 event, Apple announced a slew of new texting features certain to be exclusive to Apple's iPhones, including text that bounces and pops, formatting such as underlines and bolds, and more.
And oh, one more thing: In a slide summarizing the new features, the company snuck in three words: RCS Messaging Support.
Support for the standard wasn't mentioned in the presentation, but one assumes it will come as part of iOS 18, which will be available in beta form shortly.
Also included in Apple's updated Messages app: new Tapbacks. Apple has redesigned the existing options, and the app will now let you react with any emoji from iOS. You can also now schedule messages in the Messages app in iOS 18, and there are new text formatting options including italics and bold, as well as new Text Effects that will surface suggested emojis and can be added to any text with your keyboard. Finally, Apple is bringing Messages via Satellite to iPhone using the same technology that powers its Emergency SOS feature, and the messages are end-to-end encrypted. The new Mail app includes on-device categorization and there's a new digest view that can show you lots of different emails from one business.
But back to the headlines: RCS messaging support! Support for the feature has long been rumored and expected, especially after Google leaked the news in March. At the time, the company updated an RCS messaging webpage to mention that "Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024," adding that "Once that happens, it will mean a better messaging experience for everyone."
Apple had announced no such thing, of course, and frankly announced very little today at WWDC. Perhaps tellingly, that message is no longer available on the Android RCS webpage.
Odds are, it will be shortly.
