Key Points:
- Millions of iPhone users in Japan have unknowingly been using RCS messaging through the +Message app.
- RCS provides advanced messaging features like read receipts, higher-quality media sharing, and group messaging.
- Apple plans to integrate RCS into its Messages app with iOS 18, broadening its reach beyond Japan.
Among certain demographics, a noticeable stigma exists around texting from an Android phone. This is due to the use of SMS messaging between Android phones and iPhones, which lacks the advanced features iPhone users expect. To address this, Google has been urging Apple to adopt RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging. Finally, Apple will integrate RCS with the iOS 18 update later this year. However, millions of iPhone users, especially in Japan, have already been using RCS without realizing it.
RCS, seen as the successor to SMS/MMS, offers extended character limits, high-quality media sharing, group messaging, and read receipts—features that are standard in modern messaging apps. Unlike an app, RCS is a protocol requiring carriers to build RCS-compatible servers and apps. In the U.S., carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have adopted Google’s Jibe server but haven’t made their RCS apps available to iOS users. Japan, however, took a different approach.
In May 2018, Japanese carriers KDDI, NTT DOCOMO, and SoftBank launched the +Message app, preloaded on many Android phones and available on iPhones via the App Store. This app adheres to GSMA’s RCS standards, offering features like read receipts, high-quality media sharing, file sharing, and group messaging. +Message also supports RCS Business Messaging (RBM), enabling direct communication with brands and services.
Despite Line’s dominance in Japan, +Message is popular, with over 25 million devices using it by mid-2022, many likely on iOS. With Apple’s upcoming RCS integration in iOS 18, iPhone users globally will soon experience seamless texting with Android users. In Japan, Android users may transition from +Message to Google Messages, further enhancing RCS usage across platforms.
