Apple Finally Agrees To Bring RCS To iPhone Messages, But Green Bubbles Stay

Last week, minimalist electronics manufacturer Nothing found a workaround and brought forth the first Android device to provide iMessage support to bridge the divide between users on both ecosystems.

Now, Apple has finally relented, announcing that it will be bringing Rich Communication Services (RCS) to its iPhones from next year so that read receipts, typing indicators, and higher-quality files can be shared across the platforms.

Despite this, it seems the green VS blue bubble debate won’t be ending anytime soon.

The technology giant has confirmed that blue bubbles will still represent iMessages, signifying them as the best and most secure way for iPhone users to communicate.

On the other hand, green bubbles will be utilized to denote RCS messages.

For most Android smartphones, SMS texts are typically identified by a light blue color, while a darker shade of blue represents RCS messages. However, Apple’s implementation of RCS will result in a different color scheme.

iMessage will maintain its blue bubble identity, while RCS and SMS messages will be represented by green bubbles on both Android and iPhone devices.

While it seems the Cupertino-based firm could be catering to the long-standing requests of Google, it’s likely that iMessage won’t be going anywhere.

[via TechCrunch and 9to5Mac, cover image via Prykhodov | Dreamstime.com]