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Apple to make messaging between iPhones and Android devices easier

The company had been resisting the Rich Communication Services standard for more than a year.
A person holds an iphone on a display table
A person looks at iPhone 15s on display at an Apple store in Palo Alto, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2023. Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images file
/ Source: Reuters

Apple said it plans to adopt a messaging standard next year that will allow for a smoother texting experience between iPhones and Android devices.

The company had been resisting the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard for more than a year, with Alphabet’s Google and others pushing for the iPhone maker to adopt the technology.

Apple said the new technology would work alongside iMessage and offer better interoperability than SMS or MMS.

RCS, considered an industry standard for messaging, allows users to send and receive high-quality photos and videos, chat over WiFi or cellular data and know when messages were read, among other features.

What will that mean for the infamous green bubble? Not much, according to 9to5Mac.com, which covers all things Apple. It appears RCS will use green bubbles, the website reported.