Google Fi-nally brings iPhone RCS to its MVNO – Android Police

Rich Communication Service (RCS) has been alive and kicking for some time now, but didn’t really gain that much traction until Google really started pushing its campaign to get it supported by Apple’s iPhones. With the release of iOS 18 just last year, RCS is now a thing, which means better communication between Android and Apple devices.

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In a perfect world, that means that everyone can just start using RCS without any issues. But the reality is that wireless carriers still need to support RCS in order for it to work seamlessly. While we’ve seen plenty of brands get on board, it’s been a long journey for Google Fi members, who have yet to see RCS make an appearance on iPhones.

It’s almost here

Luckily, it appears that the long wait is finally coming to an end, with users reporting that RCS is now enabled in the latest iOS 18.4 beta. Furthermore, it also appears that RCS is now going to be live for MVNOs that are operating on T-Mobile with the latest beta as well. Although this is great news, the only real catch here is that you’ll need to download the beta in order to take advantage.

Those that aren’t on the beta will need to be a bit more patient, since iOS 18.4 is not slated to arrive for some months. It goes without saying, but SMS messaging has long been a pain point for Android and iPhone users. While it used to be fairly adequate, messaging apps with advanced features have long made it obsolete.

Not only are you getting better security with RCS and third-party messaging apps, but it also opens up a world of new ways to communicate. Of course, you can expect Google to continue to make improvements with RCS as it pushes the standard further. If you have never used it and want to give it a try, be sure to download Google Messages and enable it to give it a go.