If you remember, Apple released its iOS 18 second public beta a few days ago. The new beta update brings a range of new features like more personalization options for the lock screen, text effects in Messages, and more.
One of the most exciting features of the new update is the Rich Communication Services (RCS) support in Messages. This support is supposed to offer better messaging options between iPhone and Android users.
What is RCS?
RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is a replacement for standard SMS, offering better messaging features like typing indicators, read receipts, the ability to send longer messages, and the ability to send high-quality images and videos.
Rich Communication Services is very similar to iMessage, but it was initially available only to Android users. Currently, users who have iPhones text Android users using SMS, which lacks these enhanced messaging features.
This also remains the case for Android users when they try to text an iPhone user. However, with Apple adopting RCS, texting between iPhone and Android users will become seamless and feature-rich, eliminating the need to switch to SMS for cross-platform messaging.
iOS 18 Public Beta RCS Messaging
The second public beta update of iOS 18, released a few days ago, enables the RCS messaging support on the iPhone.
However, the twist is that RCS Messaging support on the iPhone is only available for some US Mobile Carriers.
Apple already released iOS 18 Beta 3, which enables RCS for more carriers worldwide. If you’re a customer of Videotron, Telus Mobility, and Bell in Canada, you can enjoy RCS messaging by running the iOS 18 Public Beta 2.
How to check if your carrier has enabled RCS support in iOS 18?
Starting with iOS 18 Public Beta 2, carriers in the United States have already started enabling RCS for iPhone users.
If you live in another country and are curious to know whether your iPhone supports RCS messaging, here’s how to check.
1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. When the Settings app opens, tap on General.
3. On the General screen, tap on About.
4. On the About screen, scroll down to the Physical Sim section. Look for the option ‘Carrier’ and tap on it.
5. Tapping the Carrier will change the option to show the ‘IMS Status’.
6. If your iPhone supports RCS messaging, ‘Voice, SMS & RCS’ will show up as the IMS Status.
7. If the IMS Status shows ‘Voice & SMS’, your carrier doesn’t support RCS yet.
If your carrier supports RCS, you need to enable the RCS Messaging feature on the Messages app. To do so, head to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn on the toggle for ‘RCS Messaging.’
This article explains how to check if your carrier supports RCS Messaging on iPhone. If you need more help on this topic, let us know in the comments. Also, if you find this guide helpful, don’t forget to share it with your friends.
