The blue versus inexperienced bubble debate might lastly be winding down. Apple says, in 2024, the iPhone will add help for RCS messaging, the messaging commonplace utilized by most Android telephones, based on a report from 9to5Mac.

“Later subsequent yr, we will likely be including help for RCS Common Profile, the usual as at the moment revealed by the GSM Affiliation,” an Apple spokesperson tells 9to5Mac. “We imagine RCS Common Profile will provide a greater interoperability expertise when in comparison with SMS or MMS. This can work alongside iMessage, which can proceed to be the perfect and most safe messaging expertise for Apple customers.”

The iPhone adopting RCS might allow help for learn receipts, typing indicators, high-res photos and movies, and extra, when sending texts between iPhone and Android gadgets, as famous by 9to5Mac. Apple tells the outlet it can let customers share areas in textual content threads as nicely.

It’s nonetheless not clear what kind this new RCS messaging will take, however 9to5Mac says “this just isn’t Apple opening up iMessage to different platforms” (emphasis theirs). RCS will as a substitute change SMS and MMS and “exist individually from iMessage when accessible.” Apple didn’t instantly reply to The Verge’s request for remark.

The change doubtless is available in response to regulatory strain from the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a rule that requires main firms, resembling Apple, to make their providers interoperable with different platforms. In September, the European Fee opened up an investigation into iMessage to find out whether or not it must be thought of a “core platform service.” Nevertheless, Apple reportedly argued iMessage isn’t standard sufficient in Europe for the foundations to use, and it’s planning to file an enchantment towards the federal government’s regulation of its App Retailer.

Apple is probably not doing this out of its personal willingness, however the addition of RCS is a greater than welcome change — particularly for all of us who’ve needed to take care of receiving poor-quality movies despatched from iPhones to Androids (and vice versa), together with a patchwork of different lacking options that make it much less interesting to textual content between gadgets.