Posted 3/24/2024, 1:00:00 PM
Apple Faces Pressure to Add RCS Messaging to iPhones Sooner Than Planned
- Government scrutiny over Apple's dominant position in mobile may force it to open up iOS faster, including bringing RCS messaging to iPhone
- Services like Beeper Mini try filling the iPhone/Android messaging gap, but rely on loopholes; Apple bringing RCS would undermine these efforts
- Apple could make Messages an aggregator for texts from other secure services like WhatsApp and Signal, similar to Beeper's new design
- Reality is Apple likely sticks to schedule - RCS details at WWDC in June, integration in iOS 18 and on iPhone 16 this fall
- With pressure mounting, Apple should expedite RCS rollout before iOS 18 to shift focus from texting limitations