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

Thankfully, those issues are a thing of the past. Apple’s iOS 18 release included Rich Communication Services (RCS),¹ the industry text messaging standard. And that means texting friends and family is smoother and clearer even if they have a different operating system on their device. With RCS, iPhone and Android users are able to easily share their favorite high-quality videos and photos, 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 there was 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.

Now, everyone is 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 get 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 RCS enabled, high-resolution media comes 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 gets a whole lot better. Finally, you can 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’re able to take control by adding and removing new people, changing the name, and leaving the chain when you want to. 

Imagine this scenario: 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 get read receipts (when you’ve turned them on in one-on-one messaging) that confirm your friend knows you need an answer ASAP. Additionally, typing indicators appear, letting you know your friend is responding.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 can enable RCS messaging in their settings. And once they do, you’ll all be able to experience a new era of better texting.