RCS Update Closes In on iMessage: New Styles and Video Features Unveiled!

GSM Association Unveils RCS Universal Profile 4.0

This week, the GSM Association released the latest iteration of the RCS Universal Profile, version 4.0. Regarded as the modern successor to traditional SMS, Rich Communication Services (RCS) received a significant boost with Apple’s adoption in iOS 18, enhancing interoperability between Apple and Android devices by standardizing previously proprietary features.

The updated standard introduces two key features previously available in Apple’s iMessage: the ability to start a video call directly from the messaging interface and text styling options to enrich text communication. Additionally, the new universal profile facilitates the identification of multimedia formats supported by different devices, optimizing the encoding for images, videos, or audio files accordingly.

Enhanced Video Calling Capabilities

Previously, Apple’s Messages app allowed users to initiate FaceTime calls with other Apple devices. The new RCS version expands this capability to include Messaging-Initiated Video Calls (MIVC), making video calls accessible across different platforms. The standard promises seamless integration into ongoing conversations and effective group management. According to the GSMA, “MIVC ensures continuity by allowing group members to join an ongoing video call even if they were not part of it initially, and by synchronizing the MIVC call history with the conversation timeline.” The association celebrates this development as a step towards “the first natively supported and interoperable video call experience across a broad range of devices and networks.”

Text Styling and Compatibility Features

Another upgrade, albeit technically less complex but equally crucial, is the enhanced text styling capabilities in the new RCS profile. Users can now enrich their text with bold, italic, or strikethrough options. The implementation includes a fallback mechanism to plain text to ensure backward compatibility or to switch to the SMS standard when RCS is unavailable.

The exact timeline for the deployment of these new features remains uncertain, dependent on individual service providers’ schedules. On Apple’s side, the recent iOS 26.4 beta included tests for RCS encryption, a feature integrated into the RCS Universal Profile 3.0 a year ago. Apple continues to hint at an imminent rollout but has not specified which version of iOS will support these updates.