Apple's Text Messages Just Got a Safer Security Upgrade—Here's What That Means

Apple added better security and new features to text messages in iOS 18, released on September 16, 2024. The change affects how iPhones and Android phones talk to each other through a system called RCS—a replacement for the basic text messaging standard that has existed for decades.

The organizations that control how phones communicate (called the GSMA) just finished a new version of RCS, called Universal Profile 4.0. This version adds video calling straight from your messages and builds on security improvements from the previous version.

What's Getting Safer and Better

Before now, one of the biggest complaints about RCS was that messages were not as private as they should be. The new versions fix this. They use a security method called MLS (Messaging Layer Security) that scrambles your messages so that only you and the person you are talking to can read them.

The latest version also lets you start video calls directly from a text conversation. You no longer have to switch to a different app. It is like having a video phone built right into your messaging app.

These upgrades target businesses too. Companies that send messages to customers—banks, hospitals, appointment services—can now use RCS with more confidence. They get better ways to verify they are who they say they are and can offer things like payment options or booking features right inside the message thread.

Why Apple's Move Matters

For years, Apple did not support RCS at all. iMessage, Apple's own messaging system, worked great between iPhones but struggled when messaging Android users. You may have noticed "green bubbles" appear when you texted an Android phone—that was the old basic text messaging system kicking in.

When Apple finally added RCS support to iOS 18, it was a significant shift. The company confirmed that the Messages app now handles richer pictures, videos, and group chats better when talking to Android phones.

However, Apple has not turned on all the new security and video features yet. The company is focusing on making basic messaging work better between iPhones and Android devices, rather than matching everything their own iMessage can do.

The Practical Challenge

Phone carriers have to build new systems on their end to support RCS features like encryption and video calling. This takes time and money. Some countries, like those in Europe, have extra rules (called GDPR) about how encrypted messages work, which makes it more complicated.

Because of this, RCS features may not work the same way for everyone. Your carrier, your phone type, and the phone of the person you are texting all affect what features you can actually use. This is similar to what happened when photo messaging first rolled out in the early 2000s—it took years for all carriers to coordinate with each other.

What This Changes

The broader context here is that text messaging has been stuck in the past for a long time. The old SMS system has not changed much in 30 years. RCS is supposed to be the modern replacement, with all the conveniences people expect from apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger but built into the phone itself rather than requiring a separate app.

For most people, this means iPhones and Android phones will gradually text each other more smoothly. Messages will come through clearer, video calls will work without switching apps, and—slowly—everything will feel more private.

For businesses, it opens a door to safer ways to reach customers without relying on third-party apps. Banks and hospitals are particularly interested because they need messages to be private and have a clear record of what was sent.

In this author's view, the fact that Apple is now on board removes the biggest obstacle that RCS has faced. For years, people asked why they should care about a carrier-based system when WhatsApp and iMessage already existed. Apple's adoption suggests that carriers and phone makers are finally building something genuinely competitive. Whether it catches on widely still depends on whether carriers make the upgrades and whether people notice the improvements. But the trend is clear: the phone carriers want to modernize text messaging, and Apple's involvement makes that goal much more likely to happen.