Apple reveals the U.S. wireless firms that support RCS on the iPhone 's Messages app
With iOS 18, Apple added Rich Communication Services (RCS) support to the iPhone. This allows iPhone and Android users, at least those Android users using a messaging app that supports RCS, to share higher-quality images, receive read receipts, see typing indicators, and send larger files. The only RCS feature that iPhone users can't count on when using RCS is end-to-end encryption. That's because the version of RCS that Apple chose to support does not include full encryption.
Originally, in the U.S. it was T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T that supported the protocol of RCS that allows iOS and Android users to share the aforementioned advanced messaging features during a cross-platform messaging session or group chat. The number of U.S. wireless providers that now support iOS-Android RCS messaging has risen to 17 from the original big three. Apple has posted a list of all U.S. carriers that offer this support and this list includes:
- AT&T
- Boost Mobile (requires iOS 18.2)
- C Spire
- Consumer Cellular
- Cricket
- FirstNet
- H20 Wireless
- Metro by T-Mobile
- PureTalk
- Red Pocket
- Spectrum Mobile
- T-Mobile
- TracFone / Straight Talk
- US Cellular
- Verizon
- Visible
- Xfinity Mobile
Interestingly, while T-Mobile is included in the list, some of the MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) it has acquired such as Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile are nowhere to be found. Considering that together they represent about 3 million U.S. wireless users, we can't think of any reason why those two would be permanently excluded from offering iOS-Android RCS support. T-Mobile probably just hasn't had the opportunity to set this up for Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile customers.
An iPhone supporting RCS will show this support in the Messages app text field. | Image credit-PhoneArena
If you use an iPhone and are a customer of one of the 17 wireless providers on Apple's list, you'll know if you are messaging an Android user running Google Messages or another RCS
messaging app by seeing in the text field "Text Message + RCS." If you are currently in the U.S. and your wireless provider isn't on Apple's list and you do plenty of cross-platform messaging, you can wait for your wireless provider to join the list, switch to one of the 17 wireless companies on the list, or just accept SMS/MMS quality messaging for the time being.
Of all the new features that iPhone and Android users now have thanks to Apple's decision to support RCS, perhaps the one that iOS and Android users are most happy about is the ability to receive high-quality images and videos from someone on the other team who sent them. Without RCS, images from an Android user to an iPhone user and vice versa would go through SMS and MMS (Short Message Service and Multimedia Messaging Service) both of which use old technology. That explains the horrible images that users see without RCS support.
On the other hand, images sent from one iMessage user to other iMessage users always look great as do images sent from one RCS user to other RCS users. With Apple's support for RCS, there should be fewer complaints about images sent cross-platform.
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