Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple’s RCS implementation on iOS 18 requires carriers to opt into the service individually.
- With every new OS beta, the company has been adding RCS support for more carriers across different regions.
- iOS 18 beta 4 expands RCS availability to fresh carriers, including Orange UK, Vodafone Spain, and Rogers Canada.
iOS 18 introduces support for the highly requested Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol. This addition allows iOS and Android users to reliably communicate with each other without needing third-party messaging apps. Some of its perks include typing indicators, read receipts, high-quality media sharing, and more. However, Apple’s implementation of this feature requires carriers to opt in individually. For this reason, carriers around the world have been rushing to adopt the RCS protocol before iOS 18 launches this fall. With beta 4, RCS availability has expanded to even more carriers in Spain, Canada, and the UK.
According to 9to5Mac, iOS 18 beta 4 enables RCS for the following carriers: Fido Canada, Orange Spain, Orange UK, Rogers Canada, T-Mobile UK, Vodafone Spain, and Yoigo Spain. Based on comments from this Reddit thread, it appears that this beta also enables RCS for EE, Xfinity Mobile, and Visible. Do note, though, that the service hasn’t been working consistently (if at all) for some users, as the feature is still under development.
RCS first became available to iOS 18 beta 2 users subscribed to T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T in the US. Beta 3 then brought support to Videotron, Telus Mobility, Bell, Telefonica, SFR, and O2 customers in Canada, France, Germany, and Spain. So, ineligible users can expect more carriers to adopt RCS support in beta 5 and subsequent builds. If RCS is available on your iPhone, a dedicated toggle will appear in the Messages section of the Settings app.
While RCS support on iPhone may entice certain users to ditch WhatsApp, Apple’s implementation may slow down this shift. After all, even when iOS 18 launches to the public, the protocol won’t be available to all users due to unsupported carriers. So, the communication gap will persist for a while, but it won’t be as apparent.
