The largest updates to iMessage and Apple’s Messages app in iOS 18 aren’t Emoji AIGenmoji and even the flexibility to ship texts through satellite tv for pcThat is the flexibility lastly, lastly schedule messages to be despatched at a later date and time, and assist RKSa next-generation messaging normal and substitute for SMS that may make texting with Android customers loads much less painful. These updates now out there in iOS 18 public betawhich opened simply this week.
Though he’s buried amongst checklist of adverts about synthetic intelligence and different person interface enhancements WWDC 2024These messaging options can have a big impression on the way in which individuals talk each day.
For years, client demand for message scheduling has pressured builders to create advanced and cumbersome workarounds, reminiscent of apps that remind you through push notifications to ship a textual content messagefor instance, or options that solely labored on jailbroken iPhones. The brand new iOS will provide the flexibility to schedule messages to be despatched later as a built-in characteristic.
The characteristic was solely briefly talked about at WWDC. Apple Press launchIt was introduced in the identical proposal because the Tapbacks replace, which expanded to incorporate assist for any emoji or stickers in iOS 18. Clearly, Apple doesn’t suppose Ship Later is a characteristic value spending lots of time on. However for individuals who run a enterprise from their iPhone, or for individuals who solely bear in mind essential issues they should ship once they’re mendacity in mattress at 3 a.m., the brand new scheduling characteristic will probably be a welcome addition. Past merely making life simpler, like once you wish to ship somebody a message throughout time zones with out disturbing them, Apple’s screenshot suggests you might additionally use the characteristic to be sure to don’t miss sending somebody a contented birthday.
However much more essential is the assist for RCS within the Messages app, a messaging normal and SMS substitute that may resolve lots of the issues related to sending textual content messages to Android customers with the inexperienced bubble.
For a very long time, Google has been calling for and campaigned for Apple to undertake the usualwhich can enhance interplay between Android and iOS customers. The Wall Avenue Journal ready a report on battle for inexperienced bubbles and the way blue bubbles are obligatory for US youngsters. Whereas the EU Regulators ultimately determined that iMessage wasn’t widespread sufficient to be pressured to open up and turn into appropriate with different messaging companies, the additional consideration probably influenced Apple’s determination on this case — as did Curiosity of American legislators in Apple’s shutdown of Beeper, a third-party app that gave Android customers the flexibility to make use of iMessage.
Due to Apple’s lengthy refusal so as to add RCS assist, texting with Android customers meant no typing indicators or learn receipts, damaged group chats, and blurry photographs and movies. It additionally meant that messages would not be end-to-end encrypted like iMessage.
Sadly for Android customers, messages despatched through RCS will not be exempt from the inexperienced bubble curse on Apple gadgets, in keeping with screenshots on its web site that present the characteristic in motion. As a substitute, a textual content field signifies in gentle grey font that your texts with somebody are supported as “Textual content Message + RCS,” whereas the texts themselves stay inexperienced.
Nevertheless, the problems that make the Messages app unworkable for Apple prospects seem like set to be resolved, with Apple saying it can assist the usual later this yr. In fact, the information was solely briefly talked about in Apple’s press launch, which famous that RCS will allow “richer media and extra sturdy group messaging in comparison with SMS and MMS.”
It was beforehand reported that Apple intends to work with GSMA add end-to-end encryption assist to the Common Profile for RCS, however won’t assist E2EE out of the gate. That is in all probability why there was no point out of encrypted messages in Apple’s RCS announcement.
This text was initially printed on June 11 and has been up to date to replicate the discharge of the iOS 18 public beta.