It finally looks like the RCS (Rich Communication Service) battle will see its end as Apple has hinted that starting in 2024, iPhones will start supporting RCS. While this is a great update for users across the world, it does raise a lot of questions. But, first, let’s talk about what it actually means for everyone if this change is brought into effect.
Firstly, the gap between iPhone-to-iPhone and iPhone-to-Android messaging will be erased. Basically, if your contact uses an Android device and he/she sends you a message on your iPhone, they will be afforded the same features that iMessage users have, like read receipts, high-quality media sharing, group messaging, and even location sharing within the messenger.
Secondly, the whole blue window-green window fight will be put to rest, in a way. We don’t expect the distinction to go away, as the blue window in the iMessage app has been a bit of an Apple classic, but since the other features will carry over, it should not be a problem.
However, one of the things we are concerned about is end-to-end encryption. Now, iMessage currently supports end-to-end encryption, which means, no one, not even Apple can access the contents of our messages (at least that is what they tell us). However, there is no encryption protocol within RCS, which leads us to question why Apple would welcome RCS if it means taking ten steps backward. When questioned about this, Apple has responded by saying that they are currently working with the GSMA to integrate encryption into the RCS protocol, before it can be integrated into iPhones.
We will receive more updates on this as the days roll on, but it is definitely good to see that Apple is finally conforming with the much-requested RCS integration, and we are sure that they will successfully implement it with encryption in mind.
