RCS support coming to popular MVNOs with iOS 18.4

With the rollout of iOS 18, iPhones began to suppot Rich Communication Services, or RCS. However, not all carriers supported the feature. However, it appears that iOS 18.4 will bring RCS to iPhones operating on some popular MVNOs.

The 2nd developer beta of iOS 18.4 is rolling out, and with it comes reports of T-Mobile MVNOs receiving support for RCS. Some of these MVNOs include popular carrier options like Google Fi, Mint Mobile, Tello, and U.S. Mobile. Keep in mind that this feature appears to only be available in the developer beta, not the public beta. 

Carriers in France, such as Sosh and Orange, have also received RCS support in this iOS 18.4 beta, which suggests a broader RCS rollout for some European mobile carriers as well.

RCS brings standard text messaging more in line with Apple's iMessage or other messaging services and apps. Rather than basic texting via the old SMS standard, RCS allows for quality-of-life features like read receipts, higher resolution video and image files, audio messages, and more. RCS came to iPhones with iOS 18, bringing a kind of ceasefire to the green bubbles/blue bubbles "war" often waged between Android and iPhone users. 

While RCS isn't as feature-rich as iMessage, it does include features that resolve many of the headaches formerly suffered by iPhone users messaging friends on Android.