San Francisco, California – Apple recently released iOS 18 Beta 2, introducing support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) in the United States. This update allows users to communicate via Google Messages with iPhone users over RCS, offering features like delivery/read receipts, typing indicators, and better quality images and videos.
Upon updating to iOS 18 Beta 2, users will find an “RCS Messaging” toggle enabled by default in the Messages app settings if they are on a compatible carrier such as AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. While RCS on iOS is not available for MVNOs like Google Fi at the moment, once activated on an iPhone, the carrier of the Android recipient becomes irrelevant.
Google Messages now displays “RCS message” in the text field when opening a conversation with an iPhone user, indicating the use of Rich Communication Services. Additionally, Google indicates when a conversation is not end-to-end encrypted with a lock icon showing a slash, distinguishing it from E2EE messages.
Google currently provides end-to-end encryption for 1:1 and group conversations on Messages for Android devices. Apple aims to include encryption in the RCS Universal Profile standard, prompting Google to align with industry standards in the future.
While conversing with iPhone users, Google Messages lacks certain settings, such as the ability to toggle between “Only send SMS & MMS messages” and a card detailing E2EE status in most cases. However, these missing features are expected to be addressed by Google before the iOS 18 official launch.
In group chats, users can now change group names that sync with all members and also have the option to leave the group. Google is likely to refine Messages further to address any inconsistencies before the iOS 18 release, enhancing the overall user experience.