Apple has announced that it will support Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging on its iPhone devices starting in the second half of 2024, a move that surprised many in the industry. RCS is a messaging standard that offers enhanced features such as high-quality media sharing, group chat, and encryption, similar to those available in Apple’s own iMessage platform. Google has been pushing for RCS adoption for years, even running ads in Times Square to urge Apple to join the initiative.
However, Apple has been reluctant to support RCS, as it considers iMessage a key differentiator for its iPhone products. iMessage users can enjoy the advanced messaging features only when communicating with other iPhone users, while Android users can use the Google Messages app to access RCS features when chatting with other RCS-enabled Android devices. When there is cross-platform messaging, both platforms resort to the old-fashioned SMS text, which has limitations on message length and image quality. Android users who have received videos from iPhone users can attest to the poor resolution and compression. But once Apple supports RCS, cross-platform messaging will become more seamless and enjoyable, with high-quality images, read receipts, typing indicators, and longer messages.
The only difference is that Apple does not want to adopt Google’s end-to-end encryption extension, which is used only in chats between Google Messages users. Apple instead wants the GSMA Standards Body to add encryption to the RCS Universal Profile, which is the set of specifications that defines the RCS capabilities and features.
So what made Apple change its mind and support RCS? According to John Gruber, a tech blogger who writes for Daring Fireball, the answer lies in China. China is the world’s largest smartphone market, where Apple faces fierce competition from Huawei, the local giant that recently launched its Mate 60 Pro with its own 5G Kirin 9000s SoC. Huawei dominates the Chinese smartphone market with nearly half of the market share, while Apple ranks second with 24.74%. Huawei also leads the 5G market in China, with 46% of the 5G smartphone shipments in Q3 2023.
Gruber claims that Apple’s decision to support RCS is driven by a new law that is being considered in China, which would require all new 5G phones to support RCS. If this law passes, Apple would have no choice but to comply or risk losing its market share in China. Apple is well aware of the importance of the Chinese market and has made several concessions to the Chinese authorities in the past, such as removing apps from its App Store, storing user data on local servers, and complying with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Union, which will force Apple to allow iPhone users to sideload apps, use alternative browser engines, and link their apps to alternative in-app payment platforms, starting next month.
Apple’s support for RCS is a significant development for the messaging industry, as it will bring more uniformity and interoperability across different platforms and devices. However, it also raises some questions about the security and privacy of the messages, as well as the impact on the competitive advantage of iMessage. How Apple will balance these factors remains to be seen.