With RCS coming to iOS 18, are Android users about to burst the “green bubble” nightmare?

Smartphone software choices will no longer spoil friendships and relationships.

Since Apple released iOS 18, the improved iMessaging has been one of the most popular new or updated features.

A few months ago, it was announced that Apple had been testing its iOS 18 beta version, which also supports Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging. This update could close the communication gap between iPhone and Android users.

From jokes about iPhone users not liking Android and vice versa to communication issues that the messaging system causes between the two, what does this new update actually bring to the table?

With the latest iOS release, iPhone users can exchange better-quality images, videos, and GIFs with Android users. It also shows the three dots that appear when another person is writing a message and ‘read’ receipts indicating whether the message was sent.

Its group chat settings allow users to add or remove other participants whether they’re using iPhone or Android.

However, the new update has some downsides, as first noted by the Washington Post. Apple’s end-to-end encryption ensures that no one can read the messages between users. However, this changes once the chat includes an Android user.

For now, Apple is working with Google to change the situation and create a more secure RCS standard.

But what do users think about these changes? A discussion on Reddit showed that people were quite excited about the new update.

“I have a friend with an iPhone on beta, and RCS works great. I'm anxiously waiting for everyone else to update,” shared one of the Redditors.

“My iPhone homie updated to iOS 18 and is now on RCS with me (Pixel phone). Media looks SHARP!” added another one, with others also agreeing on the improved image quality.

Another user also noted how this change will impact the social stigma of not having an iPhone: “Can't wait for all the Androids to suddenly not be ‘trash phones’ after iPhone update.” This answer also prompted a discussion about the “green bubble” in which the message appears when sent from an Android.

“No color change, but the typing indicators and read/delivered receipts make it feel a lot nicer when texting from an iPhone. I’m not a teenager though, so the bubble color was never the issue for me,” stated one of the Redditors, suggesting that the distinction between iOS and Android users is less rigid than it's painted to be.

Recently, one user online decided to ask others whether people “really take the blue/green bubble thing seriously” by calling it “an internet meme that got out of hand.”

This question led people to reveal that while they don’t care much about what kind of phone others use – as grownups shouldn’t worry about such a thing – they’ve experienced situations where it was an important matter.

“I have had women in their 20s ghost me after finding out I had an Android. We would have been talking through dating apps for weeks and had good chemistry, but after exchanging numbers and switching off, the first messages would be like, "oh Android" or "eww why Android lol" then they stop responding after a day,” shared one of the Redditors, showing that your phone choice could have a strain on your future relationship.

For some, it even made to change their mind about job position: “I had the same happen to me in a job interview . I've worked with enough Apple cultists in my life to "nope" the [f**k] out of that interview pool right quick.”

Right now, recent changes seem to be bringing iPhone and Android users together, and only time will tell whether the jokes on the topic will die down.