Turns out, iPhone users are not that into RCS

We recently ran a poll on the Android Authority website, YouTube channel, and X (formerly Twitter) account. We wanted to know from iPhone users if they have started using RCS messaging and what they think about the change that Google hyped up so much. Turns out, iPhone users are not as into RCS as their Android buddies would have liked. There are also multiple other factors as to why not all iPhone users are on the RCS bandwagon yet.

You can see the results of our poll below. We received over 10,000 votes across various platforms where the survey was conducted. Further ahead, we break down the comments we received, highlighting the main reasons why iPhone users are still not all in on RCS.

It’s a North American problem

Many iPhone users commented on our article saying they don’t really care for RCS. Do they want to be stuck with the old ways of SMS? Absolutely not. But the features RCS promises, like read receipts, typing indicators, high-quality image and video transfers, group chats, and more are all bundled into a well-loved app called WhatsApp.

Many iPhone users feel RCS and the advantages it offers only affect people living in North America, where iMessage is still a big thing, and the green-blue bubble battle rages on. Everyone else is most happy using messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger. Remember, this is not us, it’s what the people are saying. Take a look at some of those comments.

“This is really nice and amazing! But really, no one cares about iMessage outside the USA! Some friends even stopped replying to my iMessages asking me to contact them on WhatsApp instead! This stupid blue/green bubble is something you guys need to come out of.”

“Everyone in the UK uses WhatsApp. Everyone.”

“I don’t live in the US, and you’re weird if you still message anyone through SMS. Despite that, our carriers don’t support RCS yet. When they eventually do support, I’ll probably exclaim: “Huh, that’s neat.” Then, less than 5 seconds later, I’ll open the WhatsApp app.”

“I never understood the whole drama behind iMessage and RCS. 100% of my friends who use iPhone don’t know about iMessage, 100% of my friends who use Android don’t know about RCS. It’s WhatsApp everywhere. iMessage and RCS are just American things like Miles and Tips.”

“As far as it being a game changer? Not really. I didn’t and don’t care about text bubble colors and while read receipts and the like are nice, they’re not all that important to me.”

RCS availability and support

We also received an overwhelming number of comments on our YouTube poll from iPhone users complaining that they still don’t have RCS or know how to use it because their carrier doesn’t support the protocol yet. Carrier support is crucial to RCS because messages sent using the protocol go through the carrier’s servers, not Apple’s, like in iMessage. Looks like a lot of people are still waiting on their carriers to turn on the RCS switch.

“I had RCS on my network when I was still on Android, but for some reason they don’t support it on iPhone yet.”

“Not using it because it’s not working. Carrier that supports it for some reason isn’t allowing it on my iPhone.”

“None of the three main carriers are supporting it in New Zealand. Very disappointing.”

“Operators doesn’t support RCS for iPhone in Poland yet.”

“As an iPhone user with iOS 18, I can’t use it because Mint mobile haven’t pushed it out yet.”

“Not available in Australia.”

Looks like after convincing Apple, Google will now have to start convincing carriers to support RCS on iPhones so texting between Android and iOS can become simpler.

What the heck is RCS?

There’s also a camp of voters who still don’t know what RCS is and how to use it. Apple hasn’t made it all that easy to figure out. Apple requires RCS adopters to follow several steps in order to activate the protocol and given that iOS 18 is still pretty fresh, many users haven’t been able to figure out how to get RCS up and running on their iPhones.

Those who have it love it

Meanwhile, there are certainly a lot of iPhone users who have activated RCS on their phones and started using the service. Here’s what some of them had to say about their experience.

“I don’t agree that RCS implementation only affects/interests North Americans. Sure, a lot of people use WhatsApp or Messenger worldwide, but loads of people also use Messages- at least they do here in Denmark. I have always been an avid android user since my HTC Hero in 2009. For the past three years, I’ve been using an iPhone because literally everyone in my family uses one. I was SUPER stoked for iOS 18 and RCS integration so I could finally return to Android and use a phone that doesn’t frustrate me!”

“Having RCS messaging on my iPhone has been a great experience being able to communicate with family & friends you have Android devices. Being able to send high-quality photos & videos has been an amazing experience too.”

“Yes, I can see receipts and send emoji reactions now. Oh yeah and finally send pics and vids that don’t lose quality. Should have had this years ago.”

“RCS is the best part about the iOS 18 update in my opinion.”