With iOS 18, Apple switched on RCS for the iPhone in September 2024. Tim Cook blocked it for ten years. His answer to a frustrated customer at Code Conference 2022 — "Buy your mom an iPhone" — is the stuff of legend.
And now? Now it works after all. No big stage, no keynote moment. Just an update.
What happened? And more importantly: what changes for you — and what doesn't?
Why Apple Blocked RCS for 10 Years
Apple didn't reject RCS for technical reasons. It was a business decision.
Which means: iMessage is one of the strongest lock-ins in consumer tech. In the US, a green bubble means social exclusion. Reports from US high schools show teenagers kicking Android users out of group chats because a single green bubble drags the whole conversation down to SMS quality. No read receipts. No HD images. No typing indicator.
That was exactly Apple's leverage. Once you're inside iMessage, you don't switch to Android easily. An internal email from Apple manager Craig Federighi, surfaced during the Epic vs Apple trial, put it bluntly: making iMessage available on Android would hurt Apple more than help.
The short version: the bubbles weren't a bug. The bubbles were the feature.
Google attacked this publicly for years. The #GetTheMessage campaign, full-page ads, tweets from Hiroshi Lockheimer. None of it moved the needle. Apple stayed silent or threw jokes.
Until November 2023. That's when the short press release dropped: Apple would support RCS "later in 2024."
What Actually Changed Apple's Mind: EU Pressure
Apple's official reasoning is thin. Nothing beyond a brief statement on the RCS Universal Profile.
Here is the catch: the announcement landed exactly when the EU was reviewing, under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), whether iMessage should be classified as a "gatekeeper service." Had that happened, Apple would have been forced to open iMessage to other messengers. Encryption, protocol, the lot.
In February 2024, the EU then decided that iMessage does NOT fall under DMA obligations — because user numbers in Europe are too low. iMessage isn't a dominant messenger here. That's WhatsApp.
Still: the pressure worked. On top of that, China is increasingly making RCS-capable devices a requirement. Without RCS support, Apple would have come under pressure in the Chinese market. And China is too important for Apple to gamble with.
The result? iOS 18.0, September 2024, RCS is here.
What Changes on Your iPhone Now
If you're on iOS 18 or newer and your carrier has activated RCS, it runs automatically in the background. You don't need to configure anything. Details on the controls are in our guide to enabling and disabling RCS.
What you get when you message an Android user:
- Read receipts
- Typing indicators ("… is writing")
- Images and videos in full resolution instead of compressed MMS
- Group chats with real functionality (reactions, names, leaving)
- Messages over Wi-Fi, not just cellular
- Longer messages without SMS fragmentation
That's a real jump compared with SMS. Fitting timing, too: on 30 June 2026, Telekom, O2 and 1&1 shut down their MMS service for good — Vodafone already did in 2023. The old multimedia text is dying, and RCS is the official successor. For what RCS technically is and how it works, see the pillar article What is RCS Chat.
To keep the overview of what the switch really brings — and what it doesn't:
| What changes ✅ | What stays the same (for now) ❌ |
|---|---|
| Read receipts & typing indicators toward Android | Bubble colour: stays green, not blue |
| HD images & videos instead of compressed MMS | iMessage extras (stickers, apps, Mac/iPad sync) missing |
| Group chats with reactions, names, leaving | Business profile (logo, buttons) limited on iPhone |
| E2E encryption (since iOS 26.5, May 2026) | Only works if both carriers support RCS |
What Does NOT Change: The Bubbles Stay Green
Here's the honest part. Apple implemented RCS, but didn't integrate it into iMessage.
Which means: when you, as an iPhone user, write to an Android user, the bubble stays green. Not blue. There's no "RCS blue" or "RCS grey." It's the same green bubble as SMS — just with better features behind it.
Apple could have changed the colour. Apple chose not to. That's a design decision, not a technical one. One upside: since iOS 26, the Messages app shows in the input field whether a chat runs over iMessage, RCS or SMS. The guessing game about why read receipts suddenly stopped working is over.
Second point — and this is where the picture changed in 2026: end-to-end encryption between iPhone and Android is here. For a long time, RCS ran unencrypted across platforms. Apple announced encryption in March 2025, the GSMA baked it into Universal Profile 3.0 (built on the Messaging Layer Security protocol). It's been rolling out since iOS 26.5 (May 2026) — on by default, but in beta and gradually, carrier by carrier. A small lock icon in the chat tells you whether a conversation is encrypted.
The catch: it's only encrypted when both sides play along — iPhone on iOS 26.5+, Android on the latest Google Messages version, and both carriers have to support the new profile. In Germany, Apple's launch list includes Telekom, O2 and 1&1; in Austria, Magenta. Full coverage will take a while.
Third point: you need carrier support. And in 2026, that's noticeably better in DACH than a year earlier. On Telekom, Vodafone and O2, RCS now runs reliably between iPhone and Android. Only 1&1 lags behind: in its own 5G network, iPhones need at least iOS 26.2, otherwise you fall back to SMS. In Austria, A1, Magenta and Drei have you covered; in Switzerland, Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt. Rule of thumb: with the big three per country it works, with discounter MVNOs it can stutter. More on this in the RCS disadvantages.
Why Almost Nobody in DACH Cares Anyway
Honest take. In the US, the iPhone-vs-Android question is a class question. The bubble colour decides dates and party invitations. RCS on iPhone is a social event there.
In DACH? WhatsApp.
Around 50 million people in Germany use WhatsApp — practically every smartphone user (more numbers in our WhatsApp statistics). iMessage never played a relevant role here, because iPhone users chat with Android users via WhatsApp anyway — and SMS has been dead for years.
Which means: the story "finally the same features between iPhone and Android" solves a problem nobody here has. We've been chatting cross-platform on WhatsApp since WhatsApp existed.
That doesn't make RCS irrelevant in DACH. But it's not a consumer topic here. It's a business topic. If you want to compare RCS and WhatsApp for private use, you'll find the details under RCS vs. WhatsApp.
RCS Business Messaging: Where It Gets Interesting for Companies
With the iPhone rollout, RCS becomes practically relevant for brands for the first time. Before, RBM (RCS Business Messaging) was an Android-only story — meaning roughly the reach of the Android market share. Now you can theoretically reach all smartphones.
Theoretically.
Here is the catch: RCS business features on iPhones are heavily limited right now. Brand logos, verified senders, interactive buttons (carousels, reply buttons) — all of that runs cleanly on Android in Google Messages. On iPhones, little of it is currently visible. Apple implemented RCS, but hasn't fully supported the business profile yet. So don't expect your RCS campaign to look like an iMessage on an iPhone.
What that means for your use cases is laid out under RCS Business Messaging, and the cost side under RCS Chat Costs.
Bottom line: for transactional messages in the US, France or Brazil — markets without a dominant OTT messenger — RCS can now get genuinely interesting. Airlines, banks, 2FA codes with branding. For DACH D2C brands running WhatsApp newsletters and abandoned cart flows? WhatsApp stays the tool. Not out of stubbornness, but because user behaviour is where it is.
What Comes Next
Three things to watch over the next 12 months:
Full E2E encryption coverage. The standard is here, the rollout runs carrier by carrier. The interesting question is when every second iPhone-to-Android RCS chat actually shows the lock icon — and whether the next profile versions (editing, deleting, higher media quality) follow quickly.
iMessage-RCS integration. Will Apple eventually build RCS into iMessage — so Apple-to-Apple still runs over iMessage, but in the same interface with RCS features? Probably. When? Open.
Carrier availability in DACH. With the big three it works; with 1&1 and smaller providers it's still bumpy. If you want to test RCS, first check whether your own carrier has activated it.
More background on the GSMA roadmap in the official GSMA specification.
Conclusion: For DACH Brands, RCS on iPhone Changes Little — For Now
On the iPhone, RCS has finally grown up: HD media, read receipts, group chats, and since iOS 26.5 even encryption. For private communication in DACH, that still changes almost nothing, because WhatsApp took the spot long ago.
For you as an e-commerce brand, the honest answer is: RCS is a channel worth watching — but no reason to rebuild your WhatsApp setup. As long as the business profile is limited on iPhones and WhatsApp dominates daily usage in DACH, conversational commerce here runs over WhatsApp. What that looks like in practice is shown in RCS vs. WhatsApp and RCS Business Messaging.
FAQ
Does the iPhone have RCS now?
Yes. Since iOS 18 (September 2024), iPhones support RCS. The requirement is iOS 18 or newer and a carrier that has activated RCS.
Will my messages to Android users turn blue now?
No. Apple didn't visually distinguish RCS messages from SMS. The bubbles stay green. Only the features behind them are better.
Is RCS between iPhone and Android encrypted?
Now yes — with a caveat. Since iOS 26.5 (May 2026), Apple has been rolling out end-to-end encryption for RCS between iPhone and Android, on by default but in beta. It only kicks in when both devices are up to date (iOS 26.5+ and the latest Google Messages version) and both carriers support it. A lock icon in the chat shows the status.
Do I need to enable RCS on the iPhone manually?
No, in most cases. If iOS 18 is installed and your carrier supports RCS, it runs automatically. You can check under Settings → Apps → Messages → RCS Messaging.
Does RCS on the iPhone cost money?
No. RCS runs over your mobile data or Wi-Fi. There are no per-message fees like with SMS. Details on the cost structure are under RCS Chat Costs.
Will RCS replace WhatsApp in Germany now?
No. WhatsApp has very high daily usage in DACH. RCS doesn't change that, because user behaviour is locked in. RCS here will serve business use cases instead.
Does RCS work abroad too?
Yes, provided your carrier and the respective foreign carrier support RCS. That's not a given everywhere. It runs well in the US, UK, France and Brazil, less so in parts of Asia and Africa.
Can I disable RCS on the iPhone?
Yes. In the Messages settings under "RCS Messaging" you can flip the switch off. Chats with Android then revert to SMS/MMS. Guide under enabling and disabling RCS.
Why did Apple say no for so long?
Business decision. iMessage and the green-vs-blue bubble were a strong lock-in mechanism, especially in the US market. An internal Apple email from the Epic trial confirms it.
Will I get RCS business messages on the iPhone with logos and buttons now?
Partially. Apple implemented RCS, but the business profile with branding and interactive elements is still limited in visibility on iPhones. More under RCS Business Messaging.
