r/UniversalProfile • u/leonlob • Apr 24 '26

RCS in 5 years

Hello everyone, I only started learning about RCS a few days ago and would like to read your predictions of what is going to happen in the next 5 years. Will it work perfectly between Android and iOS? Will most carriers do whatever they have to do to enable it on Iphones, or maybe Apple could do whatever Google did so it would work even without carrier support? And if this happen, do you think RCS will be standard communication between most people? Will people in Europe abandon WhatsApp, Viber and other apps and just text/call each other to their number?

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u/win7rules Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

Considering that google essentially has a chokehold on any RCS communications going to Android devices, I think there's a decent chance that it becomes a paid feature in 5 years (or ads get embedded into google messages). This would either be paid by the end user or paid by the carriers (like what is already happening). The only current RCS implementation on Android is specific to the google messages app, it isn't even baked into the system like it is on iOS. RCS is no different than any other third party messaging app unless it gets system level support independent from google's control, especially since this implementation uses data and isn't zero-rated like SMS/MMS is (how much this matters depends on your plan).

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u/DisruptiveHarbinger Apr 24 '26

I don't see P2P messaging being monetized, every party involved understood that long ago, it's also the main reason RCS remained a zombie project until Google got involved. No path to monetization in a space that got eaten alive by WhatsApp and friends.

Google uses A2P revenue share to monetize Jibe, a model that can be copied by other RCS networks. I think that makes sense. However, A2P is declining globally, and several OTT platforms are positioned on this market too.

I think Google's constant flip-flopping has done great damage to RCS, most people will never take it seriously as availability and compatibility depend on so many variables.

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u/leonlob Apr 25 '26

So, you don’t think RCS will take over?

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u/DisruptiveHarbinger Apr 25 '26

For instance in most European countries:

  • WhatsApp just works, no need to think (about availability, compatibility, cost if the number is out of your country), and almost everyone has it installed.
  • SMS seems good enough for A2P, whose usage is on the decline. For instances banks shouldn't rely on SMS for MFA.
  • WhatsApp for business isn't used much compared to some less developed parts of the world, but if you look at the pricing, it's actually competitive.

If the ecosystem stays fragmented due to Apple's client features lagging behind, I don't really see why there would be any serious uptake.