iOS 18 and RCS: a gamechanger for brands and marketers 

Launch of iOS 18 finally makes RCS available for everyone

Date
17 September 2024

With the recent launch of iOS 18, the messaging service Rich Communication Services, or RCS, is finally widely available. This can have a huge impact on how brands and marketers reach their customers. In this article, we dive deeper into the ins and outs of RCS and why at iO, we believe that it will provide better experiences. 

Woman with smartphone waiting for tram

Part 1: What is RCS?

RCS stands for Rich Communication Services and is the next step in mobile messaging. This messaging service combines the simplicity of SMS with the richer functionalities you already know from messaging apps like WhatsApp. 

RCS vs SMS vs MMS 

Everyone knows the Short Message Service, or the familiar SMS: nowadays used for one-time passwords (OTP) and 2FA security codes. If your brand wants to communicate via SMS you rapidly encounter several drawbacks: your message is limited to text only and a maximum of 160 characters per message. Additionally, the message is sent from an anonymous number. Thus, SMS has gained a bad reputation: many people associate an SMS with spam and fraud—especially when it comes from an anonymous or unknown sender. 

With a Multimedia Messaging Service or MMS, you can send images, audio, and video, but this messaging service is often slow and expensive. Use of MMS by brands never really took off. 

RCS, the new Rich Communication Service, offers the best of all worlds. It is branded, offers a full chat experience with features like read receipts, typing notifications, and has numerous interactive and multimedia capabilities. Moreover, the sender is always validated by mobile operators, making RCS much less susceptible to fraud and spam. 

SMS vs MMS vs RCS
Three types of RCS 

You can implement and use RCS in 3 different ways: 

  • Basic RCS Messages are used to send text messages of up to 160 characters. It is essentially the new SMS with better statistics and a verified sender. 

  • Single RCS Messages are used when you, as the sender, mainly send rich content (cf. rich content) and expect few responses. 

  • Conversational RCS Messages are used by organisations to conduct complex interactions: it enables two-way communication with end-users. 

Vergelijking RCS implementaties
Advantages of RCS over WhatsApp business platform 

Comparing the capabilities of RCS with those of Meta's WhatsApp, RCS doesn't seem to have much new to offer. However, RCS provides several advantages that the parent company of WhatsApp and Facebook cannot put on the table. 

  • RCS is integrally embedded in the operating systems Android and iOS (from version 18 onwards): as a user, you don't need to install an extra app like you do with WhatsApp. 

  • WhatsApp has a problematic image when it comes to privacy: after all, it comes from the same Meta stable as the controversial Facebook. Therefore, many companies hesitate to associate their brand with it. 

  • Many organisations do not want to become even more dependent on the whims of big tech companies like Meta. Marketers who have worked with WhatsApp in the past will undoubtedly share our opinion: the limitations and controls that parent company Meta enforces often complicate the use of the WhatsApp Business Platform. For example, there is the mandatory use of templates, making it impossible to send freeform messages. 

Is RCS a new technology? 

Although RCS has been around for years, it has never gained the broad adoption it deserves. Google developed RCS as a protocol to modernise traditional SMS messages and enhance them with a range of advanced features such as multimedia messages, delivery receipts, and read reports. Google has consistently worked on improving RCS to keep pace with modern communication systems and optimise the user experience. 

Since 2016, RCS has been a standard feature in Android devices. With the launch of iOS 18, both Android and iOS users now have access to this technology. 

RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted and cannot be read by Google. Google primarily acts as a facilitator of the protocol and will not use metadata from the messages for commercial purposes, according to their privacy statement. 

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Who Can Receive RCS Messages? 

RCS is already working today from user to user (android <> android or android <> iOS 18). The ability that brands can send RCS messages will be available in iOS 18.1, expected in november this year.

Support for Android and iOS 

With the launch of iOS 18, both Android and iOS users can receive RCS messages. 

RCS Support by Mobile Operators 

In Belgium, the three major Belgian operators (Proximus, Orange, and Telenet) already support RCS. In the Netherlands, mobile operators are slightly behind with the implementation of RCS. Only Vodafone currently has an active RCS network. The other operators seem to be working on it, although the timeline is unclear according to the sources we found online. 

carrier example

Part 2: The Impact of RCS on brands

RCS has the potential to fundamentally change the way brands communicate with their users. 

Too many companies, for instance, have an app that offers little added value compared to their website. The reason for an app's existence is often push notifications. 

But let's take a look at recent research on how apps are used: 

  • 85% of the time is spent on 5 apps, often social media 

  • 51% of users have not downloaded a new app in the last month 

Compare that to SMS, which has a 98% open rate, of which 90% is within three minutes of receipt. Without the high development and maintenance costs of an app. 

With RCS, we finally have app-like notifications without the app.

Tom van Mierlo - iO

Tom Van Mierlo, Strategy Director

RCS
Brand and security first 

Identification within RCS gives the recipient certainty. With RCS, the recipient immediately knows who sent the message: the brand's name and logo appear at the top of the message. Additionally, the recipient can click through mini-profile of the brand. 

The operators, in turn, ensure authenticity and security through a verified sender. Someone with bad intentions can never send RCS messages under the name of iO. 

If the RCS cannot be delivered, a classic SMS fallback can be provided, ensuring the sender that the user has received the message. 

RCS finally provides a user-friendly and trusted channel for 2FA and OTP messages.

Tom van Mierlo - iO

Tom Van Mierlo, Strategy Director

example zeb
Better user and brand experiences 

The RCS message interface is very user-friendly. 

Additionally, it offers a richer, more interactive experience than traditional messaging platforms. Brands can now send multimedia content such as photos, videos, audio, GIFs, carousels, and shortcuts within a single message, leading to better customer interactions and a stronger brand connection. 

In addition to response suggestions, you can also insert a number of shortcuts in your message as a brand. Below is a selection of these shortcuts: 

  • View Map: This link opens Maps to a personalised location. 

  • Call Phone Number: This fast link opens the phone app with a pre-specified number. 

  • Open URL: With one click, you jump to the browser or deep links in an app (with app icon in the button). 

  • Create Calendar Event: This shortcut opens the calendar app to create events with specific details. 

  • App Deep Links: These deep links move the conversation to your app if needed, with the user immediately logged in. 

Data and bots: increased integration capability thanks to the API structure

RCS messages are sent and received via an API-based platform. 

If you've already chosen a composable architecture for your digital ecosystem, you'll now reap extra benefits because linking company data with RCS messages will be smoother. 

Are you already experimenting with an AI chatbot on your website? Now it can be seamlessly integrated with your brand's RCS channel. 

RCS Provides a Range of New Possibilities 

There are a number of obvious scenarios where RCS will quickly gain ground: 

  • Delivery Notifications: Track packages and provide delivery notifications. 

  • Appointment Reminders: Remind you of your appointment with healthcare professionals, hairdressers, restaurants, and other appointments. 

  • Weather Alerts and Emergency Notifications. 

  • Marketing Messages: Show promotional offers, discounts, and newsletters. 

  • E-commerce Notifications: Send order confirmations, shipping updates, and receipts. 

But due to the many interaction possibilities, RCS is much more powerful than just notifications. Consider, for example: 

  • Banking via RCS: Send transaction alerts and balance updates. 

  • Simple E-commerce: Navigate through a simple offer, order, and pay via RCS, for example, in sandwich bars or local shops. 

  • Customer Support: Follow customer support via RCS through a chatbot or human interaction. 

  • Ticketing: For trains, trams, buses, or even event tickets. 

  • Entertainment: For example, quizzes and interactive content in the context of radio and TV programmes.

example casa
Customer experiences & technology
And what are the benefits for the user? 

While RCS undeniably offers new possibilities for customer interactions, this messaging service should not be an end in itself. Just like with other new technologies such as AI, RCS is a means to improve existing processes and interactions. 

Research already shows that users are enthusiastic about RCS: 

  • Nearly 80% of consumers find RCS appealing, 

  • 74% say that RCS would make them more inclined to communicate with a brand. (Source: 2024 OpenMarket and GSMA, RCS business messaging research study) 

Brands need to think strategically if the integration of RCS into their customer journeys is to add real value.

Brands must think strategically if the integration of RCS into their customer journeys is to offer true added value. 

Tom van Mierlo - iO

Tom Van Mierlo, Strategy Director

Finally, a Breakthrough for PWAs? 

RCS has the potential to accelerate the adoption of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Since RCS supports push notifications without an app, users can receive updates without having to download a specific app, reducing the barrier to PWA use. 

As a refresher, by adding PWAs to websites, they can behave like an app, and they can also be installed as an app, without the complexity of app stores and native development. 

At iO, we see PWAs as a technology with a lot of potential, especially to transform the efficiency and accessibility of web applications. The economic benefits also give this technology an edge: organisations no longer need to develop and maintain a separate app. 

iOS has supported push notifications for PWAs for more than a year. However, due to Apple's prolonged reluctance to implement some essential success factors in iOS, the major breakthrough has remained elusive until today. 

The arrival of RCS could give the adoption of PWA applications a new boost. 

Conclusion 

Now that Apple has finally embraced RCS with iOS 18, brands and marketers are on the brink of a new way to reach their audience. RCS not only offers a richer user experience but also a powerful platform for customer engagement and brand building. 

Want to learn more about how RCS can strengthen your brand? Contact our team of experts and discover the possibilities. 

iO works closely with RingRing and mobile operators for a quick adoption of RCS in Belgium and the Netherlands. 

Want to know more? Take a look at www.rcs.be

Tom van Mierlo - iO

Got questions about RCS? Contact Tom.

Tom Van Mierlo - Strategy Director
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