043 - RCS

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the modern replacement for SMS, and it flew under many people's radars. Since iOS 18, iPhones support RCS messaging with Android, and iOS 26 adds end-to-end encryption. In this video I share my real world test: texting friends in Germany from abroad for a full month, checking whether it actually stayed free (it did), and how the experience compares to iMessage.

Apple's RCS support document: https://support.apple.com/en-us/104972