SMS is dying — here’s what’s taking its place

Since the dawn of smartphones, there’s been a battle between messaging apps. Despite many attempts on Google’s part, there’s never been an actual messaging competitor to Apple iMessage.

However, Google’s been pushing another universal standard: RCS. The standoff between the tech giants has been rather public, with Google goading Apple on many occasions, and Apple refusing to support RCS for many years. Then, on November 16, 2023, Apple pivoted, saying it would support RCS in 2024. It seems like a moment of unity is coming in cross-device messaging — finally.

Since Verizon embraced Google’s RCS protocol in February 2024, all Android phones and every major mobile carrier in the US now support RCS messaging. But what exactly is RCS, what features does it have, and which devices is it available on?

What is RCS?

The future of text messaging is here… almost

Rich communication services (RCS) is a protocol between mobile operators and phones. The overall aim of RCS is to replace SMS and MMS messaging, the formats we’re all familiar with as they have been around for years. RCS messaging is very much like WhatsApp, where live chat can take place, including multimedia support, with everything handled via the data network.

The biggest advantage RCS Messaging has over SMS — and the reason it was implemented in the first place — is that it improves on the SMS/MMS messaging experience, much in the same way that iMessage does. This means RCS messages can carry more information, so users can send things like full-resolution photos, videos, and audio messages to one another. Popular features like typing indicators and read receipts are also part of RCS messaging.

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Users can carry out video calls with one another directly within the messaging app, rather than having to rely on third-party software. Group messages are possible, and RCS messages also do away with the 160-character limit currently found in SMS messages. Businesses can also use RCS Messaging to send things like boarding passes for airlines, package delivery notifications, and credit card fraud alerts. RCS is legitimately better for everyone.

Is RCS encrypted and secure?

Short answer: Yes, but not by default

Google Messages uses end-to-end encryption to ensure a conversation remains private between the sender and recipient. Your conversations are encrypted with a key that only either participant can access. You can verify if you’re currently having an encrypted conversation by looking for the lock icon next to the time stamps for your messages, look for a banner in the thread that shows a lock icon along with the participants’ names, or look for the lock icon on the send button.

If you want to confirm your conversation is private, you can follow the instructions Google lays out here to confirm verification codes in the Messages app with specific contacts.

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Because an increasing majority of Android phones come with Google Messages pre-installed or use it as their default messaging app, most RCS chats should be end-to-end encrypted, but encryption is not part of the protocol by default. In comments to the press when Apple announced it was adopting RCS, building end-to-end encryption into the base protocol was one of the things the company hoped to do.