iOS 19 to Improve Texting With Android Users in Five Ways

Apple this week said that it plans to add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates, and that news actually has some additional implications.

RCS Feature 1
As noted by 9to5Mac's Michael Burkhardt, Apple has indirectly confirmed that it will be adopting the RCS Universal Profile 3.0 specification, which includes not only end-to-end encryption, but also several other iMessage-like enhancements that were originally introduced in version 2.7 of the specification. iOS 18 supports RCS Universal Profile 2.4.

Here are five new capabilities to expect for RCS conversations:

  • End-to-end encryption, which will prevent Apple and any other third party from being able to read messages and attachments while they are being sent between devices, as has always been the case with iMessage
  • In-line replies
  • Edit messages
  • Unsend messages
  • Full-fledged Tapback support for RCS messages, ensuring they always work

iMessage conversations with blue bubbles have supported end-to-end encryption by default since iOS 5. In addition, iMessage has supported in-line replies since iOS 14, while the options to edit and unsend iMessages were introduced with iOS 16.

Apple has not indicated which iOS version will upgrade RCS, but iOS 19 or a follow-up update like iOS 19.1 or iOS 19.2 seems like a safe bet.

Related Roundup: iOS 19

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Resolutions Leak With Under-Screen Camera Tipped

Monday April 14, 2025 3:12 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold") will feature two screens as part of its book-style design, and a Chinese leaker claims to know the resolutions for both of them. According to the Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station, the inner display, which is approximately 7.76 inches, will use a 2,713 x 1,920 resolution and feature "under-screen camera technology." Meanwhile, the...
iPad Pro iPadOS

iPadOS 19 Will Be 'More Like macOS' in Three Ways

Sunday April 13, 2025 6:43 am PDT by
A common complaint about the iPad Pro is that the iPadOS software platform fails to fully take advantage of the device's powerful hardware. That could soon change. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS." Gurman said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like a Mac" in three ways:Improved productivity Improved multitasking Improved app window management...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Waiting for the Perfect MacBook Pro? 2026 Might Be the Year

Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
Apple Vision Pro with battery Feature Blue Magenta

Vision Pro 2 Rumored to Have Two Key Advantages Over Current Model

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:15 am PDT by
Apple is working on a new version of the Vision Pro with two key advantages over the current model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Specifically, in his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is developing a new headset that is both lighter and less expensive than the current Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499 in the U.S. and weighs up to 1.5 pounds. Gurman said Apple is also...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: New iOS 19, iPhone 17, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 Leaks

Friday April 11, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we catch up on the latest iOS 19 and watchOS 12 rumors, upcoming devices, and more. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Detailed new renders from leaker Jon Prosser claim to provide the best look yet at the complete redesign rumored to arrive in iOS 19, showing more rounded elements, lighting effects, translucency, and...
top stories 2025 04 12

Top Stories: iOS 19 and iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, Siri Revamp Turmoil, and More

Saturday April 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
It was a big week for leaks and rumors in the Apple world, with fresh claims about iOS 19, the iPhone 17 Pro, and even the 20th anniversary iPhone coming a couple of years from now. Sources also spilled the tea on the inner turmoil at Apple around the Apple Intelligence-driven Siri revamp that has seen significant delays, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iOS ...
iPhone 16e Feature

iPhones, Macs, and Other Apple Devices Exempted From Trump Tariffs

Saturday April 12, 2025 9:44 am PDT by
Apple and other electronics manufacturers have received a break from Trump's reciprocal tariffs, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency sharing a long list of products excluded from the levies last night. iPhones, Macs, iPads, Apple Watch, and other Apple devices will not be subject to the 125 percent tariffs that have been put in place on imported Chinese goods, nor will Apple...

Top Rated Comments

ignatius345 Avatar
4 weeks ago
Wow, this would pretty much eliminate all the pain points of texting people with Androids. Sounds good to me.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JonathanParker Avatar
4 weeks ago

Apple could end the blue bubble / green bubble issue so easily, as with so much other low hanging fruit they ignore.

Just let people set it to whatever color they want. How hard is that? I can set my watch complications to a jillion colors, I can make my Home Screen look absolutely awful in whatever shade of color I want.

Why can't I just customize my Messages colors? It even says right there in the compose field, for every single message every single time, "iMessage" "SMS" or "RCS".
I agree, I also demand that Apple give me the option to customise the colours of the Dynamic Island privacy indicators from Orange for microphone and Green for Camera—I want Purple for Microphone and Brown for Camera. I also demand the ability to rotate all message bubbles by 12° as a customisation feature in the Messages app, and I want to change the colour of all notifications so they appear with pink text instead of white
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
4 weeks ago
Apple could end the blue bubble / green bubble issue so easily, as with so much other low hanging fruit they ignore.

Just let people set it to whatever color they want. How hard is that? I can set my watch complications to a jillion colors, I can make my Home Screen look absolutely awful in whatever shade of color I want.

Why can't I just customize my Messages colors? It even says right there in the compose field, for every single message every single time, "iMessage" "Text Message" or "RCS".
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GMShadow Avatar
4 weeks ago

Apple could end the blue bubble / green bubble issue so easily, as with so much other low hanging fruit they ignore.

Just let people set it to whatever color they want. How hard is that? I can set my watch complications to a jillion colors, I can make my Home Screen look absolutely awful in whatever shade of color I want.

Why can't I just customize my Messages colors? It even says right there in the compose field, for every single message every single time, "iMessage" "Text Message" or "RCS".
It's important to help avoid social faux pas. If you're in a group chat and someone's got a green bubble, you're going to keep restaurant recommendations more on the side of Applebees rather than Ruth's Chris or something even more upmarket.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
4 weeks ago

Apple could end the blue bubble / green bubble issue so easily, as with so much other low hanging fruit they ignore.

Just let people set it to whatever color they want. How hard is that? I can set my watch complications to a jillion colors, I can make my Home Screen look absolutely awful in whatever shade of color I want.

Why can't I just customize my Messages colors? It even says right there in the compose field, for every single message every single time, "iMessage" "Text Message" or "RCS".
Agree. I won't be switching to Android because I'm far too entrenched in the Apple ecosystem for that to ever work, but I'm always jealous when I look at a friend's messaging app because they can assign colors and style to each contact individually. It's a small thing, but being able to assign different colors for work/business contacts to differentiate them from personal contacts would be such a welcome feature. Apple could implement this tomorrow if they wanted to, leaving the current setup as default but allowing customization inside each contact's info screen, but no, Apple gonna Apple and force everyone to be as homogenous as the companies they used to lampoon decades ago just to own those Android chuds, or whatever.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drzed Avatar
4 weeks ago

Maybe in the US. Here in Europe, operator support for RCS is non-existent in many countries
Same in Australia. Nothing has changed since iOS 18 and RCS support. All messaging between Apple and Android is still SMS with no RCS support, it’s literally 1990s tech where you can’t even send anything more than 120 plain text characters

There is a reason why WhatsApp is so popular outside of the USA. Apple has ignored the messaging between the 2 platforms for years allowing competitors to take over. The amount of Apple users outside the USA who use other messaging apps instead of iMessage is staggering.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)