RCS Messaging on iPhone: What It Is & Why Australia Is Still Waiting
RCS gives iPhone and Android users better texting, but Australian iPhone owners cannot use it yet. See what it is and what a Telstra report suggests.
A report this week suggests Telstra could switch on RCS messaging for iPhone in December. Today, iPhone owners in Australia cannot use it. This guide explains what RCS is, what it would change, and what to expect.
What RCS is
RCS is a newer standard for text messaging that replaces the old SMS and MMS system. It works inside the Messages app, with nothing extra to download, and it lets an iPhone and an Android phone exchange richer messages than they can today.
With RCS you can send high-resolution photos and videos and links, and you get delivery receipts, read receipts and typing indicators. It works over Wi-Fi or mobile data. RCS messages still appear in green bubbles, and messages between two iPhones keep using iMessage as they do now.
RCS is a service your mobile provider supplies, not Apple. That is why it depends on where you live and who you are with.
Why it matters
When an iPhone texts an Android phone in Australia today, the message goes as a standard SMS or MMS. Photos are squashed, group chats with mixed phones can be unreliable, and you get none of the receipts or typing indicators. RCS fixes most of that.
Where Australia stands
Apple added RCS to the iPhone with iOS 18, and it needs a mobile provider that supports it. Apple’s list of carriers in Australia, which covers Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and amaysim, does not show RCS messaging for any of them, so Australian iPhone users cannot use it yet.
You can check your own phone. Open Settings, tap Apps, tap Messages, and look for RCS Messaging. If the setting is not there, RCS is not available from your provider.
What a Telstra rumour says
A report this week says a Telstra support page, since removed, stated that RCS support would begin with an iOS update coming in December. If that timing holds, Telstra customers would most likely get it with iOS 27.3, a later update to iOS 27.
We have not seen Telstra confirm this, and the page has been taken down, so treat the December date as unconfirmed. There is no word here on Optus or Vodafone.
A note on privacy
Apple is testing encrypted RCS messaging, which is a beta feature and only works with providers that support it. Until encrypted messaging is available and switched on for both people, do not assume an RCS message is private. Keep passwords, identity documents and payment details out of any text message, and send them through a secure channel instead.
What to do now
There is nothing to switch on. If you need to send photos or documents to an Android user, email them or share a link, because that keeps the quality and does not depend on text messages. If you run a business, remember that customers on Android receive your texts as standard SMS, so keep them short and clear.
When RCS does arrive in Australia, it should appear after an iOS update, and the RCS Messaging setting will show up in Messages.
