In a move that no one expected before the universe died, Apple announced that it will add support for the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging standard to the iPhone. Apple has long resisted this move in favor of promoting iMessage, which is exclusive to the iPhone.

This move has the potential to fundamentally change the way Android and iPhone users interact. iPhone users will not notice much, and messages from Android users will not be delivered in blue bubbles. But for Android users, the act of sending a message to an iPhone owner is going to change quite a bit.

Currently, messages between iPhones are sent through Apple's own iMessage service. This provides end-to-end encryption and allows for the sending of all sorts of additional digital files, including voice messages, high-resolution images and videos, files, and stickers.

Since there is no such advancement in messaging between Android and iOS, we are left with the same SMS and MMS services that have existed for decades and have not really changed since their inception. Not only are these services basic, they are comically insecure compared to modern encrypted messaging formats.

RCS is a standard that was developed to try to solve some of these problems and eventually gained the support of the likes of Google and Samsung.RCS has better read receipts, live typing indicators, Text over IP, media files, and other support, and other advanced features.

End-to-end encryption is also available, but not all RCS messaging services add it. Google Messages, the default texting app on many Android phones, offers this by default. In other words, it is much more secure than SMS. Over the years, Google Messages has evolved to resemble Apple's iMessage, making it the de facto Android equivalent.

The thing to remember about RCS is that it is not an app, but a protocol that phone manufacturers must implement in their devices. In recent years, Apple has faced increasing pressure from companies like Google, but has resisted. When asked by a reporter whose mother uses Android about improving that relationship, Apple CEO Tim Cook simply replied, "Buy your mother an iPhone."

Apple's CEO has also been a vocal opponent of Android, saying, "I don't want my mother to have to buy an iPhone.

It has long been thought that Apple viewed RCS as a threat to iMessage, one that could negatively impact iPhone sales in the process. Clearly, however, the situation has changed.

RCS is scheduled to appear on the iPhone in 2024, but the important thing to know about Apple's adoption of RCS is that iMessage is not going anywhere. So iPhone users won't really notice much difference, especially if they only text other iPhone users. Apple has already confirmed that the green/blue bubble split will continue, but only by changing the way iPhone users send texts to Android.

Importantly, this does not mean that iMessage will be opened up to other platforms. Apple is keeping it as an iPhone exclusive. From the sound of things, all Apple will do is change the default protocol that the iPhone uses to interact with other Apple devices.

However, it will still rely on Android users to use RCS-compliant messaging apps such as Google Messages. SMS and MMS are apparently still available as a fallback in case one side of the conversation does not have RCS or iMessage. It is unclear if these bubbles will be green or if they will be differentiated in some other way. Perhaps a good idea to show users how secure non-Apple chats are.

The key advantage here is that RCS messaging provides encryption, which SMS-based messaging lacks. Apple has not confirmed what additional security RCS will provide on the iPhone, but has stated that it will work with members of the GSMA, which manages the RCS protocol, to improve security and encryption. The company also told 9to5Mac that it will not add its own encryption on top of RCS, preferring instead to work on improving the standard

Apple also said that RCS on the iPhone, alongside the option to send messages via mobile data or Wi-Fi, The company has confirmed that it will include the ability to share locations within a text chain.

Although not specifically mentioned, it is likely to mean that the MMS-based restrictions on media file sharing will also go away; Android users who have been sent video files from the iPhone will know that the video quality tends to be pretty terrible! . At the very least, they should be able to receive media files in better resolution. It won't be full-size resolution, but it will be much better quality than the currently acceptable resolution.

It is not at all clear how video calling will work, as both Apple and Google have built rival video calling services into their respective messaging apps.

There is still a lot we don't know about Apple's adoption of RCS other than the fact that it will happen in late 2024. We may hear more about this change in the coming months, but my guess is that we will get all the key details at WWDC next June.

However, the adoption of Qi2 wireless charging, USB-C, and now RCS shows that Apple is taking some important steps toward standardization. Especially since European regulators are pushing to regulate iMessage and open it up to other platforms.

But at the very least, it will improve the security and functionality of cross-platform communications and, in the process, eliminate the need to rely on third-party services. Even if we have to wait another year, we can all be thankful for that, because it means that we will be able to use the same services that we use now, and that we will be able to use them in the same way.