Your iPhone just stopped being the awkward one in the group chat. Buried deep inside iOS 27 beta 2 are two small RCS fixes that solve some of the biggest quirks that made “green-bubble” chats between iPhone and Android users feel half-baked for years.
If you have ever tapped a heart on a photo your Android friend sent, your iPhone has likely announced to the entire thread that you “loved an image” instead of simply showing a heart. But with iOS 27 beta 2, your reactions show up as they should.
Apple’s newly released iOS 26.5 update supports end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between iPhones and Android devices.
However, the feature requires the cooperation of wireless carriers. Fortunately, Apple released a list of which ones do, and all three of the biggest U.S. carriers are on board: AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
iOS 26.5 launched Monday, bringing several minor but important usability improvements to your iPhone. The update adds 11 new Pride-themed wallpapers, a suggested places section in Apple Maps, and a new payment option for yearly app subscriptions.
Here are all the new features you can look forward to trying in iOS 26.5.
Apple will improve the RCS messaging experience by adding cross-platform encryption support. The company’s announcement comes as the GSM Association unveiled the latest RCS standard.
The new standard brings end-to-end encryption (E2EE) based on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol.
Rich Communication Services messaging is new to iPhone, and it makes chatting with Android users much more fun. RCS messaging makes features like read receipts, video and file attachments and named group chats — previously exclusive to iMessage (and some apps) — possible between iPhone and Android.
What RCS features can you take advantage of? Keep reading or watch our video guide.
With RCS support, iOS 18 brings a huge upgrade to the cross-device Android and iPhone messaging experience. It enables users of both devices to share high-quality media and enjoy features like read receipts and typing indicators.
However, RCS chats between Android and iPhone lack end-to-end encryption (E2EE). The GSM Association, which developed the RCS standard, is working to fix this security gap.
US carriers have enabled support for RCS messaging for iPhone users on their networks. This comes following the release of iOS 18 beta 2, which shipped with an RCS toggle in the Messages app.
Multiple reports from iPhone users running iOS 18 beta confirm that RCS messaging is now live for them.
Google let slip that Apple will fulfill its promise to add support for Rich Communication Services to the iPhone Messages app “in the fall of 2024.”
That almost certainly means iPhone and Android users will enjoy higher quality cross-platform texting with the release of iOS 18 and not before.
In what is apparently an enormous change of direction, Apple reportedly plans to add support for Rich Communication Services to the iPhone Messages app in 2024. This will enable iPhones and Androids to communicate more effectively, with more of the bells and whistles associated with Apple’s proprietary iMessage platform.
It also could be the end of the green bubble versus blue bubble controversy, though not necessarily. If you’re wondering how to get RCS on iPhone, Apple’s latest update will bring end-to-end encryption to RCS messaging. Find out more here.
Samsung used a short video to join Google in urging Apple to add support for Rich Communication Services to iMessage, which would end the blue bubble vs. green bubble divide.
The reason for their campaign is obvious: if Apple made the change, people would be more likely to switch from iPhone to Samsung’s Androids.
Google’s campaign to talk Apple into supporting Rich Communication Services in iMessage continues. The Android-maker introduced a new website Tuesday that claims that because iPhone does not support RCS it lacks “modern texting standards” and causes unnecessary problems.
Apple has long resisted RCS, choosing instead to reserve the best benefits of its messaging software to iPhone users.
Google is once again calling on Apple to adopt a more open text messaging standard after accusing Cupertino of benefitting from bullying.
It comes after a report highlighted the struggle some teens face when using an Android device, which results in broken group chats and green bubbles — as opposed to blue ones — when texting peers who own an iPhone.
A former iMessage manager explained the reasoning behind the differences in Apple’s defense. But some might (rightly) say the arguments hold no value today, with text messaging in a better place than it was when iMessage landed.
Google executive Hiroshi Lockheimer has called on Apple to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol that would enable improved and more secure messaging between iPhone and Android devices.
RCS brings a number of modern features — including support for audio messages, group chats, typing indicators and read receipts — and end-to-end encryption to traditional text messaging. But it’s unlikely Apple will play ball.