The iPhone won’t get an RCS messaging release date. Apple CEO Tim Cook plainly stated that there are no plans to bring the feature to the company’s products. Instead, the iPhone will continue to use iMessage as its primary texting app with other iPhones and SMS and MMS fallback for Android.
Why do people want RCS messaging on iPhone?
Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a messaging protocol intended to replace SMS and MMS eventually. It’s more secure and feature-rich, and all four major US carriers have committed to supporting it.
It’s not uncommon for iMessage users to treat Android users with contempt when they see the telltale green bubble indicating an SMS message. Some people hope that the iPhone supporting RCS would help end that perception by putting Android users on par with those using Apple devices.
However, according to The Verge, Tim Cook recently answered a question about the iPhone adopting RCS, stating, “I don’t hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy in on that at this point.” When pushed on the response with the example that the questioner had trouble sending phones and videos to his mom because she has an Android phone, Cook said, “Buy your mom an iPhone.”
So, it comes down to the fact that Apple isn’t going to put time and effort into making it easier for iPhones to communicate with rival devices. That’s the same reason that iMessage isn’t available on Android.
