Edgar Cervantes/Android Authority
long story short
- The new official Google Messages webpage confirms that iPhone RCS support will be launched in the fall.
- Initially, Apple only committed to 2024, so that’s a more specific time frame.
- Given the timing, it’s likely we’ll see this land launch at the same time as the iPhone 16 series.
Late last year, Apple shocked the tech world by announcing it would support Rich Communication Services (RCS) in iMessage sometime in 2024. The company has been mum on any further details since the announcement, but we finally have a small but helpful update from a different source: Google.
On a new page dedicated to Google Messages (first spotted 9 to 5 google), the company revealed that RCS messaging support for iPhone will be available “in the fall of 2024.” That’s a little more specific than the “next year” Apple said when it was originally announced.
You can see all Google has to say about iPhone RCS support in the screenshot below:
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Considering that autumn is the most important time of the year for Apple, coupled with the release of the iPhone in September, it is not impossible that RCS support in iMessage will be launched at or around the launch of the iPhone 16 series. However, testing of RCS support may begin earlier than that, possibly with the rollout of an early iOS 18 beta, which we expect to be released at WWDC 2024 in June.
Regardless, if you were hoping that your iPhone-using friends and family would be able to get RCS in the first half of this year, Google’s update dashes your hopes. However, you can rest assured that by this time in 2025, the videos you text to your iPhone will have more than 20 pixels.