Apple’s Messages app has come a long way since the first iPhone launched in 2007. Back then, it was basic — it only supported SMS, and forget about sending photos. MMS support didn’t arrive until iPhone OS 3.0 with the iPhone 3GS, and Apple didn’t introduce iMessage until iPhone OS 5.0, creating a seamless chat experience for Apple users.
But when it came to messaging Android users? Apple seemed in no rush to move beyond outdated SMS and MMS. These formats lacked encryption, butchered photo and video quality, and fueled the infamous “blue bubble vs. green bubble” debate.
That all changed in 2024. With iOS 18, Apple finally introduced Rich Communication Services (RCS) to Messages, bridging the gap between iPhones and Androids. For someone like me, who has been waiting years for this feature, it’s been nothing short of a game-changer.
Sharing Memories Without the Frustration
As a parent and avid photo-taker, my phone is brimming with pictures and videos of my daughter’s everyday adventures. Before RCS, sharing these moments with my sister — the lone Android user in my immediate family — was frustrating.
Sending videos through MMS meant receiving pixelated, postage-stamp-sized clips that looked like they were filmed on a flip phone from 2005. Often, we skipped sending videos entirely and used apps like Google Photos or iCloud to share links. While that worked, it wasn’t instant or personal.
RCS changed all of that. Now, when I send a video of my daughter’s latest antics or a cute snapshot of our pets, my sister receives them in crisp, high resolution — no third-party links needed. For the first time, I feel like we’re truly on the same page when it comes to messaging.
A Better Group Chat Experience
Group chats with Android users used to be another headache. Photos and videos always came through in subpar quality, leaving me to wonder if my message even got across. With RCS, group chats are smoother, and media looks just as good as it does on my phone.
It’s not just about the visuals, though. I also appreciate RCS features like read receipts (if the recipient enables them) and delivery notifications. With my sister, it’s helpful to know when she’s seen my message rather than wondering if she missed it.
Room for Improvement
While I’m thrilled to finally have RCS on my iPhone, there’s still work to be done. The biggest gap? End-to-end encryption (E2EE) between Android and iPhone messages. Apple’s iMessage is encrypted, and Android-to-Android RCS messages are encrypted, but cross-platform RCS lacks this critical security feature.
I’m also not a fan of how RCS messages still appear as green bubbles, just like SMS. It’s confusing and makes it hard to tell whether you’re using RCS or the older, clunkier SMS protocol. A simple color tweak would go a long way in improving clarity.
A Welcome Step Forward
Despite these shortcomings, having RCS on the iPhone feels like a major quality-of-life upgrade. For those who stick exclusively to iMessage because everyone they know uses an iPhone, this update might not seem like a big deal. But for me, with family and friends on Android, RCS has made communication simpler, faster, and far less frustrating.
There’s still room for Apple and the broader RCS community to make it even better. But for now, I’m just happy that messaging in 2024 no longer feels like a battle of the bubbles.
