RCS texting is on its way to the iPhone. But Apple’s phones are not the only ones that still lack access to the more modern texting standard.
Google, which has invested considerably in building up RCS while touting promises of how it could bring typing indicators and higher-quality group chats, spent years pushing for Apple to adopt the messaging standard. It even built features into Google Messages like support for message reactions, in an attempt to make texting iPhone users a little less awful. Finally, by late 2023, Apple announced RCS support would be coming to iOS in 2024, bringing hope that improved texting between Android and iOS, complete with typing indicators and high-quality media, could actually happen.
But if RCS is truly meant to replace the antiquated SMS and MMS texting that most phones have been stuck with for decades, it needs to arrive on all phones. Not just Android phones, and not just Apple’s iPhone.
That includes basic phones, like flip phones and other minimalistic feature phones one might turn to for a “digital detox.” That also means apps and services that rely on SMS to text a phone number, some of which Google itself makes, will need to adopt RCS.
There’s also a world of alternative Android texting apps that haven’t yet been given access to RCS texting.
It amounts to a lot of devices, services and apps that are still using SMS. But RCS truly needs to be available across all mobile phones and texting apps, not just the iPhone, before we leave old standards like SMS and MMS behind for good.
Zoom can be used for phone calls, but if you text with its phone number it’s stuck on SMS.
Online services are still stuck on SMS
Services that provide virtual phone numbers have been around for a long time, and they are a convenient way of using another phone number without having to purchase a new line from a carrier. They provide features like forwarding calls to any other phone number you would like, enhanced voicemail support and SMS texting. But that latter point is now part of the obstacle that is preventing RCS from supplanting SMS and MMS.
I personally have been a long-time user of Google Voice, as it provides an unlimited voicemail box for my calls while also providing an alternate phone number to use for any reason I want. I also use Zoom Phone as my work phone number, which lets me take calls either from my laptop or from any phone I happen to be reviewing at the moment.
Both services fit my needs well… except for messaging. It’s frustrating that these tools are still stuck using SMS and MMS. That’s especially the case with Google Voice, since Google has been leading the RCS push with its Google Messages app. I hope these and similar services can soon get access to RCS, and hopefully get a better texting experience that will make them easier to use.
