RCS supported carriers

[DakotaGuy]

So this is the current situation:

Apple does not provide their own Jibe Service equivalent, they require operators to provide the RCS service endpoints (as defined in the spec), just like they do with e.g. MMS.

Years ago Google did the same, but carriers in the US were very slow to spin up Universal Profile / interconnected RCS hubs so they started providing a generic Jibe fallback as part of Google Messages (e.g. if your carrier has no RCS support, they take over and throw you on Jibe so every single Google Messages user gets access to RCS, no matter which carrier. If your carrier supports RCS, the Google Messages app uses that first and foremost).
This kind of killed all chances at RCS being properly implemented at the carrier level, because Google ate their cake with their generic fallback method which enabled carriers to be lazy (no real money in RCS, so slow adoption and eventually most carriers just gave up). Some carriers, namely the big 3 in the US, did at least partner with Jibe and provide endpoints that essentially forward traffic to the Jibe Service (so they have a RCS endpoints that does nothing except link to Jibe, zero requirement on their end).

To Google's credit had they not decided "to take the bull by the horns" with regards to GSMA's RCS Messaging protocol what we are seeing today would have never happened and we'd all be stuck with SMS/MMS for who knows how long. Sure Google providing the backend service for RCS when the carriers wouldn't did allow them to be lazy and not properly implement it, but it pushed the protocol into the mainstream. Once Google Jibe had a robust GSMA certified server in place it was easy to go to them and offer an RCS backend for the carriers at the fraction of the cost of doing it themselves. Carriers can set up their own hosting still, but I don't know why they would with Jibe.

Maybe it slowed the proper adoption at carrier level because if they wouldn't do it Google would just go around them, but now Jibe has a service set up for them to do a proper adoption. How that works for all carriers remains to be seen, but it should lead to the vast majority of people whether on Android or iOS that still use carrier based texting to be sending RCS messages by the end of this year. Google should get some credit for getting that done.

 

[Fontvnilla]

RCS is working for me this morning on Verizon (US).

I toggled off the RCS setting, then back on, force closed the messages app and reopened. This did the trick.

 

[acroyle]

Not working for me on T-Mobile. Toggled off and on and still nothing.

 

[TimFL1]

To Google's credit had they not decided "to take the bull by the horns" with regards to GSMA's RCS Messaging protocol what we are seeing today would have never happened and we'd all be stuck with SMS/MMS for who knows how long. Sure Google providing the backend service for RCS when the carriers wouldn't did allow them to be lazy and not properly implement it, but it pushed the protocol into the mainstream. Once Google Jibe had a robust GSMA certified server in place it was easy to go to them and offer an RCS backend for the carriers at the fraction of the cost of doing it themselves. Carriers can set up their own hosting still, but I don't know why they would with Jibe.

Maybe it slowed the proper adoption at carrier level because if they wouldn't do it Google would just go around them, but now Jibe has a service set up for them to do a proper adoption. How that works for all carriers remains to be seen, but it should lead to the vast majority of people whether on Android or iOS that still use carrier based texting to be sending RCS messages by the end of this year. Google should get some credit for getting that done.

I‘m not criticizing Google, I‘m pointing fingers at the carriers being the usual spawn of evil.

 

[bigjnyc]

Started working for me on Verizon, NYC..... Did not have to toggle anything on/off...

 

[DakotaGuy]

I‘m not criticizing Google, I‘m pointing fingers at the carriers being the usual spawn of evil.

Agreed. I’m only glad that most of them have finally went with Jibe because if they had kept trying to run their own servers it would be a disaster.

 

[rmeadejr]

Working now for me on Verizon, Napa. Did not have to toggle on/off.

 

[redbeard331]

Nothing on att

 

[dk001]

Mint Mobile is not showing.
Updated the 1st post.

 

[geneo]

Not working for me on T-Mobile. Toggled off and on and still nothing.

Mine finally started working after toggling then restarting messages, though I had tried that unsuccessfully before.

 

[IslesFan]

Working on T-Mobile for me. Any word if we're going to get encrypted support?

 

[NM08SRT8]

RCS from my iPhone 15 Pro Max on Verizon to another VZW customer is now working as of this morning. Just noticed it.

What do you mean about “receiving messages”? New to RCS

 

[acroyle]

Just started working.

 

[dk001]

Working on T-Mobile for me. Any word if we're going to get encrypted support?

That is supposed to be a future feature once the standard is updated.

 

[gwhizkids]

This is a Beta.. give RCS and carriers time to get things worked out. Don’t freak out just yet.

These are words to live by generally!

 

[TimFL1]

It‘s worth a shot to submit feedback to Apple about adding Jibe to the generic shared carrier profile, so everyone gets RCS regardless of their carrier adding support for it (just like Google does with their Jibe fallback in the app).

I‘m pretty sure Google wouldn‘t be opposed to Apple adding them as a fallback for instant access to the iOS userbase.

 

[Kung]

This is a Beta.. give RCS and carriers time to get things worked out. Don’t freak out just yet.

I will still freak out on principle.

On a serious note, on T-Mobile and it's now "working" (I see RCS displayed below the texts).

 

[IslesFan]

That is supposed to be a future feature once the standard is updated.

Hrmm, so we're not going to get support for the existing encryption? The few people I've tested RCS with both say my conversion is unencrypted to them.

 

[dk001]

Hrmm, so we're not going to get support for the existing encryption? The few people I've tested RCS with both say my conversion is unencrypted to them.

We are not. The standard for RCS does not currently include E2EE. Google’s version is what most currently use. Apple did say they are working with GSMA to do this. When or if actually occurs? No idea.

 

[ManuCH]

I don't see this going well at all. If Apple will not provide a Google Jibe-like backend service, it will be a scattered service throughout the world. Many carriers won't care at all to implement an RCS server, as that creates costs.

I work for a carrier myself. I'm not in the team taking care of mobile backend services, and I will sure ask them for some insights, but if there's no money to be made out of this, hardly any carriers will implement it, that's for sure. Leaving the Apple RCS implementation useless.

So I really wonder if Apple will provide their own backend service as a fallback like Google does, or not. Anything else would be ridiculous.

 

[NM08SRT8]

Go into your contact and make sure you have read receipts enabled. I just turned on mine and it’s giving notifications to the recipient.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I don't see this going well at all. If Apple will not provide a Google Jibe-like backend service, it will be a scattered service throughout the world. Many carriers won't care at all to implement an RCS server, as that creates costs.

I work for a carrier myself. I'm not in the team taking care of mobile backend services, and I will sure ask them for some insights, but if there's no money to be made out of this, hardly any carriers will implement it, that's for sure. Leaving the Apple RCS implementation useless.

So I really wonder if Apple will provide their own backend service as a fallback like Google does, or not. Anything else would be ridiculous.

Apple has no interest in making this experience good, so I don't see them spinning up their own RCS hub like Google has. If it's fragmented, oh well, buy your mom/brother/cousin/friend an iPhone.

 

[HouseLannister]

If it's fragmented, oh well, buy your mom/brother/cousin/friend an iPhone.

More likely this bad experience will just cause iPhone users to have to leave MVNOs like Mint and Visible for more pricey plans. Apple has never been good about supporting US carriers outside of the big 3. You can't use an MVNO on an iPad or Apple Watch. You can't do the iPhone upgrade program either. And you usually can't do eSIM during setup or transfer your eSIM.

 

[Paddle1]

I don't see this going well at all. If Apple will not provide a Google Jibe-like backend service, it will be a scattered service throughout the world. Many carriers won't care at all to implement an RCS server, as that creates costs.

I work for a carrier myself. I'm not in the team taking care of mobile backend services, and I will sure ask them for some insights, but if there's no money to be made out of this, hardly any carriers will implement it, that's for sure. Leaving the Apple RCS implementation useless.

So I really wonder if Apple will provide their own backend service as a fallback like Google does, or not. Anything else would be ridiculous.

Didn't Apple say they were working with Google on this? Are carriers not able to use their existing implementations for Android on iPhone?

 

[ProbablyDylan]

More likely this bad experience will just cause iPhone users to have to leave MVNOs like Mint and Visible for more pricey plans. Apple has never been good about supporting US carriers outside of the big 3. You can't use an MVNO on an iPad or Apple Watch. You can't do the iPhone upgrade program either. And you usually can't do eSIM during setup or transfer your eSIM.

This is more true for some rather than others. Visible does Apple watch but not iPad, same for Mint I believe.

I really just don't get it sometimes. The iPhone is a Phone, an iPod, and an Internet Communicator; one would think Apple would want it to be the very best at all of those things.

The unfortunate reality is that there's no business interest in making the best product.