If you’re looking for confirmation, this is it. RCS messaging is working in iOS 18 beta 2 for the iPhone and you can start using it now.
RCS has been Enabled with iOS 18 and You Can Start Using it Right Now if You Have Beta 2 Installed
Apple released beta 2 of iOS 18 yesterday and it added the toggle switch for enabling or disabling RCS messaging. But at the time, that switch didn’t do anything. Now, I’ve gotten confirmation that the feature actually works and you can start messaging compatible RCS devices which is basically just your Android friends and family at this point.
The confirmation comes from YouTuber and content creator Aaron Zollo on Threads along with a bunch of others who are currently using the second beta of iOS 18. Here’s the image showing how RCS looks like on iPhone. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before as Apple did show this in its presentation at WWDC 2024. The ‘RCS’ badge is all you need to see in order to know you’re sending a rich message.
Initially, I believed this feature will start working later this year, but it seems as though Apple has flipped the switch on it immediately which is fantastic news, until you cut through the excitement and realize that this feature is only available on the beta version of iOS 18, not the final one. Still, it’s great news, one which means we will get to take RCS for a spin immediately after the release of iOS 18 later this year.
If you’re interested in installing iOS 18 beta, be sure to check out my tutorial here. Just make sure you have a compatible iPhone before going ahead.
