Last November, Apple finally agreed to support RCS on iPhones after years of requests from Google and others. RCS brings iMessage-like features to messages sent between any devices that support it, regardless of the manufacturer.
At that time, Apple only mentioned that RCS would come to iPhones “later next year”, meaning “later in 2024”. Today, Google specified a launch timeframe of “fall of 2024”. This strongly hints that RCS will debut in iOS 18, likely to be announced on June 10 but released with the iPhone 16 family this fall.
Google did not explicitly confirm these details, but it is a safe conclusion to draw, especially considering a previous rumor from January. While we do not have official confirmation from Apple, this is the best indication we have so far.
The image above shows a screenshot of Google’s new dedicated website introducing its Messages app, which naturally supports RCS. Although the specific section in the screenshot is not visible, it was captured by 9to5Mac. It seems like the bubble colors may remain separate in Apple’s messaging app, with blue for iMessage (i.e. iPhones) and green for RCS. Therefore, it is advised not to expect this to change with the introduction of RCS on iPhones.