What to know

  • Apple has introduced RCS messaging with the iOS 18 update. 
  • You can turn off RCS from Settings > Apps > Messages > and toggle off RCS Messaging. 

With the release of iOS 18, Apple has finally implemented RCS messaging for iPhone users. Being a more advanced and inclusive way to communicate than SMS or MMS, Rich Communication Services (RCS) allows chats between Apple and Android users and is on par with third-party messaging services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. 

But RCS is not without potential problems. Since it is tied to your carrier, there is bound to be more carrier intervention and less innovation in the long run (which is why such features lag behind eventually). There are also safety and privacy concerns that come with RCS and users shouldn’t be forced to use it if they don’t want to. 

Fortunately for iPhone users, Apple has included a toggle so you can turn off RCS on your iPhone.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Select Apps.
  3. Select Messages.
  4. Under TEXT MESSAGING, find the RCS Messaging option and toggle it off. 
Image: Reddit

Whether or not you like the idea of RCS, it’s good to see Apple providing a toggle to turn it off as it does with iMessage and MMS.