Not everyone knows about them, but RCS messages are the natural substitute for the well-known SMS. The Movistar operator already supported this type of messages, although the problem was that only users with an Android mobile had the opportunity to use this technology. Something that is going to change from now on with the arrival of this support for iOS, at least in the blue operator.
It took a while, but Apple has finally relented and users in Spain with an iPhone who are Movistar customers will be able to use this type of communication. Not only does it make messages more secure, but it also gives these users the opportunity to send messages from iMessage to Android smartphones. So the end of the classic SMS is closer than ever.
RCS comes to iPhones
It is not yet available to everyone with an iPhone, although it is an important step. Apple already promised at the end of last year that by 2024, its users would have the opportunity to use RCS messaging. And, for the moment, this has been the case for Movistar customers.
Basically, because Apple has released beta 3 of iOS 18 to developers and it has been discovered that it already includes RCS support for messages on the iPhone in different countries, including Spain and with the help of Movistar.
Therefore, users who have been testing this beta version and who are Movistar customers have already had the opportunity to see how their smartphones have the IMS profile to access the RCS services section from the settings, within the Messages tab. And it is no longer only available for the Telefónica network, but also for other major operators in Europe. And although it has arrived first to Movistar, logically, it will also be extended to other major companies in Spain such as Orange, Vodafone…
What do RCS messages allow?
One of the last things missing to truly put an end to SMS was the fact that there was no possibility of using RCS messaging between iPhone and Android. So the classic text messages were still around. However, with this new feature from Apple, things are changing.
One of the key aspects of this type of communication is that people with an iPhone, once they have this technology available, will be able to send and receive messages with an Android user. It will be like a WhatsApp-style conversation, since the option of easily sending multimedia elements will be given.
On the other hand, companies will also be able to fight against fraud and scam attempts. Above all, because they will have the opportunity to send verified RCS messages, thus putting an end to the phishing SMS that cause so many problems today. Thanks to the GSMA universal profile, operators will be able to certify the origin and thus put an end to this type of scam.
