Google is also announcing today that there are over a billion RCS messages sent every day in the United States. A big reason for this number being so large is, Apple has added support for RCS with iOS 18. Don’t forget that the most popular phone in the US is indeed the iPhone.
RCS has been a struggle for Google, Apple, and even the carriers. With many phones launching without RCS being turned on, and some carriers not working with RCS at all. But now, it seems to be working seamlessly across every device on every carrier. With Apple adding support last year, it greatly increased the awareness of RCS and its adoption of it too.
It appears that Apple, and many other Americans, did “Get the Message”, Google.
Why is RCS so important?
RCS or Rich Communication Services, is the next evolution in texting. While the majority of the world has moved past SMS to things like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, the US is still mostly using SMS for communications.
With RCS, you’re able to send out high-quality photos and videos, without them getting compressed and looking like hot garbage.