How to send RCS messages from your iPhone to your Android user friends

Looking for a way to send rich text messages from your iPhone to your Android counterparts? With the launch of iOS 18, the long-awaited RCS messaging option is now a reality. Thanks to the new RCS support, your iPhone texts to Android users can include larger file attachments, higher-quality photos and videos, audio messages, read receipts, more types of emojis, and smoother group chats.

Also: 6 reasons why iOS 18 makes the iPhone 16 a must-upgrade

Promised by Apple last year and top among the desired new features in iOS 18, RCS (Rich Communications Service) is a messaging standard released by Google a few years ago. Designed to replace SMS messaging, RCS is a more modern standard that can handle richer content.

Apple had long resisted the calls to enable RCS but finally gave in amid demand for greater interoperability between iPhone and Android. Until the release of iOS 18, Apple users could only send rich text messages to each other through iMessage. Any texts exchanged with Android users would be limited to SMS, thereby stripping out the rich content, or relying on MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), allowing certain types of media in a message.

Also: iOS 18.1 beta adds photo ‘Clean Up’ AI tool and notification summaries – how they work

To send an RCS message, your iPhone needs to be running iOS 18, currently in public beta. You must also be on the right carrier. Though Apple has enabled RCS at its end, the carriers must also activate it on their networks. At this stage, all three major US carriers — Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — have turned on the RCS switch. Other carriers in the US and around the world have done likewise. But fear not, there is an easy way to check.

Here’s how it works.

How to send RCS messages from iPhone to Android

1. Upgrade to iOS 18

First, you’ll need to install the iOS 18 public beta on your iPhone. Go to General and select Software Update. Tap the option for Beta Updates and choose the one for iOS 18 Public Beta. Return to the previous screen, and the beta is downloaded and installed on your phone.

2. Check your carrier for RCS support

Next, you’ll want to see if your carrier supports RCS. To do this on your phone, head to General and select About. Swipe down the screen to the ESIM section and tap the entry for Carrier. If the ISM Status shows: Voice, SMS & RCS, then you’re good to go.

3. Enable RCS support

Next, you’ll need to turn on RCS messaging. On your iPhone, go to Settings and select Apps. Swipe down the screen and tap the entry for Messages. Go to the Text Messaging section, tap the RCS Messaging entry, and then turn on its switch.

4. Send your message

Open the Messages app and start or continue a conversation with an Android user. The message field will read: Text Message + RCS. You can now compose a message that includes content you couldn’t send before RCS support, such as a high-resolution photo or video, an audio clip, or an unusual emoji.

5. Receive the message

On the receiving end, the Android user should be able to view the rich content that you included with your text.