Unified Messaging on Apple iOS with RCS
Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 4:17 am
RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a rising star among conversational channels. It combines the reliability of SMS with the added benefits of rich media and the interactive features of modern messaging apps. However, its only hurdle was that RCS didn’t have the same reach without Apple’s iOS support. So far, Apple has confirmed that it will support RCS in iOS 18.
Christel Brouwers
Christel Brouwers
SUMMARY
What is RCS Messaging?
RCS unifies Android and iOS
Benefits of RCS for businesses
RCS Messaging for Business via CM.com
What is RCS Messaging?
RCS is often considered the successor to SMS . It is an enhanced messaging protocol that offers many of the features available on popular messaging platforms such as WhatsApp , Facebook Messenger , and Instagram Messaging . Similar to SMS, RCS messaging uses the native messaging of mobile phones and leverages the Internet and carrier networks to deliver its messages; RCS messages are sent over Wi-Fi when available, otherwise, they use mobile data. Therefore, it is not dependent on Internet access to send and receive messages, increasing its reach and reliability.
Many assume this means that RCS has the same powerful reach as SMS. However, there is one big drawback: RCS is currently not natively supported on all operating systems. At least, until June 2024...
iOS does not currently support RCS messaging, but Apple has confirmed that it is working to add RCS support in iOS 18.
RCS unifies Android and iOS
According to Statista , Apple’s iOS operating system is becoming increasingly popular. While more than half of smartphone users worldwide own phones running Android, iOS is on the rise among younger generations. About 35% of Millennials owned an iPhone in 2023, followed closely by 31% of Gen Z.
The unavailability of RCS on iOS was a big threat to its popularity, it meant less reach and an unoptimized messaging experience between Android and iOS users. However, now that Apple has confirmed that it will be adopting RCS messaging in iOS 18, the future of RCS looks bright.
RCS offers many of the same features as Apple's iMessage and other popular messaging apps like WhatsApp , including typing indicators, high-resolution media, stickers, and GIFs. With the added benefit that it will align with messaging protocols on other operating systems, unifying the way users communicate and bridging the gap between iOS on iPhones and Android interactions.
Currently, the interactions between iOS on iPhones and Android phones seem archaic, to coo email list put it bluntly. SMS is the only native messaging channel that can be used to communicate between the two operating systems, meaning that messages can’t contain rich media or modern features. The fact that Apple supports RCS on its devices means that users messaging between iPhones and Andr
Group discussions
Reading receipts
High-resolution media sharing
Stickers and GIFs
Apple intends for iMessage and RCS to coexist. iMessage will still have features exclusive to iPhone users, while RCS will eventually replace SMS.
Christel Brouwers
Christel Brouwers
SUMMARY
What is RCS Messaging?
RCS unifies Android and iOS
Benefits of RCS for businesses
RCS Messaging for Business via CM.com
What is RCS Messaging?
RCS is often considered the successor to SMS . It is an enhanced messaging protocol that offers many of the features available on popular messaging platforms such as WhatsApp , Facebook Messenger , and Instagram Messaging . Similar to SMS, RCS messaging uses the native messaging of mobile phones and leverages the Internet and carrier networks to deliver its messages; RCS messages are sent over Wi-Fi when available, otherwise, they use mobile data. Therefore, it is not dependent on Internet access to send and receive messages, increasing its reach and reliability.
Many assume this means that RCS has the same powerful reach as SMS. However, there is one big drawback: RCS is currently not natively supported on all operating systems. At least, until June 2024...
iOS does not currently support RCS messaging, but Apple has confirmed that it is working to add RCS support in iOS 18.
RCS unifies Android and iOS
According to Statista , Apple’s iOS operating system is becoming increasingly popular. While more than half of smartphone users worldwide own phones running Android, iOS is on the rise among younger generations. About 35% of Millennials owned an iPhone in 2023, followed closely by 31% of Gen Z.
The unavailability of RCS on iOS was a big threat to its popularity, it meant less reach and an unoptimized messaging experience between Android and iOS users. However, now that Apple has confirmed that it will be adopting RCS messaging in iOS 18, the future of RCS looks bright.
RCS offers many of the same features as Apple's iMessage and other popular messaging apps like WhatsApp , including typing indicators, high-resolution media, stickers, and GIFs. With the added benefit that it will align with messaging protocols on other operating systems, unifying the way users communicate and bridging the gap between iOS on iPhones and Android interactions.
Currently, the interactions between iOS on iPhones and Android phones seem archaic, to coo email list put it bluntly. SMS is the only native messaging channel that can be used to communicate between the two operating systems, meaning that messages can’t contain rich media or modern features. The fact that Apple supports RCS on its devices means that users messaging between iPhones and Andr
Group discussions
Reading receipts
High-resolution media sharing
Stickers and GIFs
Apple intends for iMessage and RCS to coexist. iMessage will still have features exclusive to iPhone users, while RCS will eventually replace SMS.