What is RCS?
Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a messaging protocol that acts as an upgrade to text messaging or SMS. RCS allows for higher as high-resolution photos, GIFs and videos, features you find on “over-the-top” (OTT) messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and Twitter/X direct messages. The only problem with OTT apps is users of one can’t message users of another. E.g. an iPhone Message user can’t message someone on WhatsApp without both having the app. OTT messaging platforms lack “interoperability”, something RCS solves. Because it’s not an app but a way for apps to function, RCS can serve as the bridge between separate “messaging islands”. Otherwise, SMS or “green bubbles” on iPhones were the only interoperable way to message.
Who’s responsible for implementing RCS? This has been unclear and evolving for years in a saga that involves telephone carriers, manufacturers, governments, tech giants and messaging platforms (including ours). RCS adoption is an option determined by platform owners, contributing to the lack of consensus. Since SMS is offered by telecom operators around the world, they spearheaded the initial unification effort via their “Universal Profile” implementation of RCS and in some countries (like Japan, S. Korea) even formed joint ventures to build and offer RCS services. Google, the market leader, has been rolling out its own implementation of RCS and most recently, Apple announced its adoption in iOS 18. Given the scale of the parties involved, implementation timelines are yet unclear.