Are your iOS contacts using RCS messaging yet? [Poll]

As we all know, RCS messaging is a game-changer, offering a much richer and more feature-packed experience compared to traditional SMS. But are your iPhone-using contacts taking advantage of this technology?

Sure, SMS and, therefore, RCS messaging isn’t that big a deal outside of North America. Even so, this has bigger implications. Switching from the outdated SMS means at least we’ll all have an experience that is appropriate for 2024, no matter what platform we choose or prefer.

Typing indicators, read receipts, faster sending/receiving, better quality images and videos, plus message reactions, and hopefully more in the future. We’re still waiting on Apple adding encryption for added security, but at least the “green bubble” isn’t going to break things in the future.

On Android, it’s easy: We just use Google Messages, and voila, you can get all kinds of extra functions. Given that iOS 18 has only just started rolling out, not everyone using an iPhone will be updated, but there’s another roadblock. Not all carriers are supporting RCS right out of the gate.

Unlike on Android, where Google just took the bull by the horns and made Messages the default for RCS, it works a little differently on iPhone. It’s up to your carrier to activate the function. This means that even though iOS 18 enables RCS, it might not work.

Luckily, in the US, the three biggest carriers—AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon — support RCS already. Some other regional carriers and many MVNOs that rely on the “big 3” also support RCS. In the UK, EE and MVNOs that use the EE network support RCS. The picture in Europe is a little different, but Apple does have a dedicated support page that you can view here.

If you listen to Apple fans, the reason people wax lyrical about iPhone is the long-term software support. Surely, that means everyone is updated to iOS 18 already, right? What is the state of your chats with friends, family, colleagues or just random folk? Is RCS making a difference in your Android-iPhone messaging? Did your friends #GetTheMessage? Let us know using the poll below: