RCS, or Rich Communication Services, represents the next generation of SMS messaging. It is a communication protocol between mobile telephone carriers and aims to replace SMS and MMS messaging. Functionally, it offers a more advanced feature set, including read receipts, typing indicators, higher quality image and video sharing, and group chats comparable to modern messaging apps. While not directly an integral part of iOS 18, its potential integration affects the user experience on Apple devices.
The significance of RCS support on platforms like iOS lies in improved interoperability between different mobile operating systems. Historically, communication between iOS and Android devices via text messaging has been limited to the lowest common denominator of SMS/MMS, resulting in a degraded experience for media sharing and features. Adoption of RCS removes these limitations, providing a more consistent and feature-rich experience regardless of the recipient’s device.