Among them: blurry videos and emoji reactions replaced by vague texts that just say “Jo liked your message.”

Well, we’ve got great news. Apple’s latest iOS 18 release includes Rich Communication Services (RCS),¹ the industry text messaging standard. And that means texting friends and family will be smoother and clearer if they have a different operating system on their device. With RCS, iPhone and Android users will be able to easily share their favorite high-quality videos, name their group chat or add people, and react to texts with emoji.

Now that’s something to celebrate. 

Over 1 billion Android users already enjoy the benefits of RCS messaging. But until Apple decided to join the party, your iPhone friends had to use SMS (Short Message Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) when texting anyone not on iMessage.

Both SMS and MMS limit file sizes, so images and videos from Pixel users would show up small or blurry on iPhones. And if someone replied with an emoji from a Pixel phone, all they’d see was text letting them know that someone reacted to their message. 

If you had a group chat going among iPhone users, and a Pixel user joined it, the entire chain would shift to SMS messaging. That meant features normally available on the iPhone would vanish.

Thankfully, Apple’s decision is a first step toward solving this problem.

Soon, everyone will be able to enjoy the benefits of RCS messaging – no matter who’s in your group chats and what kind of devices they use. 

Here are the top three benefits you can expect to see from Apple’s RCS messaging adoption:

Ever received a blurry photo or video from a friend or family member who has a different operating system on their phone? With Apple’s adoption of RCS, high-resolution media will now come through more clearly – whether it’s a family portrait or the game-winning goal at your child’s soccer game.¹

That group chat you have going with your neighbors, the parents at your child’s school, or your college friends is about to get a whole lot better. You’ll be able to seamlessly share updates, in any format, whether it’s a picture of a lost dog in the neighborhood or news about parent-teacher conferences.¹

Too busy to respond in detail to every message? Let your emoji do the talking without worrying about them being turned into those strange “loved an image” text reactions.¹ 

In group chats, you’ll also be able to take control by adding and removing new people, changing the name, and leaving the chain when you want to.

Imagine a scenario where the window for buying concert tickets is quickly closing and you want to know if you can count on your friend to join you. Now iPhone and Android users will get read receipts (when you’ve turned them on in one-on-one messaging) that confirm your friend knows you need an answer ASAP. When typing indicators appear, letting you know your friend is responding, you know their answer is on the way.¹

If you own a Pixel, you won’t have to do anything to enjoy the benefits of RCS. The same amazing experience you already have when texting with fellow Android aficionados will simply extend to those with iPhones. 

Your friends and family with Apple devices may have to reach out to their carriers to learn how to turn on RCS. But once they do, you’ll all be able to experience a new era of better texting.