Following the release of the second developer beta for iOS 18, some users reported spotting a toggle for RCS messaging in their settings. However, not everyone who downloaded the beta is seeing the update, as it seems some carriers are not yet prepared to support it.
Apple iPhone fans were anxiously waiting for the second developer beta of iOS 18 to drop yesterday, hoping for a few new features to be added to their handset. What many have been waiting for is support for Rich Communication Services (RCS), and for some it seemed to have finally happened. Problem is, not all carriers are ready to support the feature, and not everyone who downloaded the second beta saw the RCS feature added.
With the inclusion of RCS messaging, iPhone users will be able to take advantage of having a “Delivered” status message when texting back and forth with someone on an Android device. It will also enable high-quality photo and video messages, whereas right now when someone on an iPhone sends and receives images and video with someone on Android, the quality is degraded. RCS should also bring higher quality voice messages between the two platforms.
As of right now, there are only a few carriers who support RCS on iPhones. Two of those who do in the US are T-Mobile and AT&T. After downloading the second developer beta onto my own iPhone device, the RCS message toggle was present (seen in photo above). However, the feature itself does not seem to be turned on yet (Verizon customer). So, while the feature may be showing up for some, it may not be working for all who see the RCS toggle in the Messages settings.
What is certain is that RCS is coming to iOS 18 at some point this year, according to Apple. However, even if a user can see the RCS toggle, there is a good chance it is not live just yet. Hopefully more carriers will support RCS on iPhone in the near future, and the much anticipated feature will work for everyone with an iPhone. I certainly expect that to be the case when iOS 18 rolls out to in final form.