Which iPhones Support RCS Messages and Features

If you're looking for iPhones that support RCS messages and features, you're in luck. The good news is that many recent iPhone models support RCS.

The iPhone 12 series, including the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, support RCS. They also support RCS features like group chats and file sharing.

The iPhone 13 series, including the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max, also support RCS. This means you can enjoy enhanced messaging features on these devices.

Intriguing read: How Long Does Apple Support Iphones

RCS stands for Rich Communications Services, a replacement for the decades-old SMS/MMS texting standard.

It's meant to be a platform-neutral standard, adopted by the GSM Association to enable messaging over your internet data connection rather than strictly your carrier network.

RCS provides many of the same benefits as iMessage, including typing indicators, full-resolution images and videos, proper group chats, delivery and read receipts, and better security.

Google has heavily pushed the standard and it's commonplace on Android phones, with the Google Messages app providing RCS support on almost any Android phone using Google’s own RCS servers.

iOS 18 brings RCS support to iPhone users, expanding on the features available in iMessage.

RCS, or Rich Communication Services, allows for end-to-end encryption, but Apple's implementation currently relies on carrier support, which doesn't have encryption support.

The iOS 18.4 update expanded RCS chat compatibility to users with additional U.S. carriers, and internationally, carriers like Orange and Sosh in France also have RCS available with iOS 18.4 beta 2.

RCS messages are not encrypted, but Apple says they want to work with the GSM to include encryption in a future version of the standard.

With RCS, iPhone users can send rich messages with audio and larger media files to Android users, and RCS also has read receipts, something that was previously exclusive to iMessage and other instant messaging apps.

To enable RCS on your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, but if you don't see this option, your carrier probably doesn't support RCS on iPhone yet.

iOS 18 is now available to download and requires an iPhone XR or later, and you can update your iPhone by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

Here are some carriers that support RCS on iPhone with iOS 18:

Some carriers in Canada, Europe, and Asia also provide RCS support for iOS users.

RCS carriers and support are expanding rapidly. Apple has updated its Wireless Carrier Support webpage to include which carriers support RCS on the iPhone with iOS 18.

Major US carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have supported RCS since the beginning. Some carriers in Canada, Europe, and Asia also provide RCS support for iOS users.

Carriers must work with Apple to roll out an updated carrier bundle that enables RCS support to their customers with iPhones. This is no longer necessary, as users can expect more carriers to add RCS support in the following months.

You can check if your carrier supports RCS by going to Settings > Apps > Messages. If you don't see this option, your carrier probably doesn't support RCS on iPhone yet.

iOS 18 is now available to download and requires an iPhone XR or later.