ISLAMABAD: Apple is preparing to significantly scale back traditional text messaging with major upgrades to its Messages app under the upcoming iOS 26.4 update, expected to roll out this spring.
According to reports, the update will expand Apple’s support for Rich Communication Services (RCS), marking a shift away from the limitations of conventional SMS and MMS messaging and toward a more modern, cross-platform communication experience.
RCS is widely regarded as the telecom industry’s successor to SMS, offering features commonly found in internet-based messaging applications, including high-quality media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators and message delivery over Wi-Fi or mobile data networks.
For iPhone users, the expanded RCS support is expected to narrow the gap between Apple’s iMessage ecosystem and Android devices, replacing the basic “green bubble” SMS experience with a more seamless native chat interface.
Apple said the update would also introduce end-to-end encryption for RCS messages, extending privacy protections beyond iMessage-to-iMessage conversations to include iPhone-to-Android communication.
“End-to-end encryption is a powerful privacy and security technology that iMessage has supported since the beginning, and now we are pleased to have helped lead a cross-industry effort to bring end-to-end encryption to the RCS Universal Profile,” the company said in a statement.
Reports indicate that iOS 26.4 will bring several additional features previously missing from Apple’s RCS implementation, including inline replies, message editing, message unsending and enhanced reaction options.
The changes signal a notable shift in Apple’s approach to cross-platform messaging, with internal beta versions suggesting close coordination with mobile network operators to support the wider adoption of RCS.