We already knew that RCS messaging support was coming to the iPhone this year but Apple finally confirmed that it would be part of iOS 18 when the software was unveiled at WWDC on June 10. That update won't arrive until the fall, but someone is already testing RCS out right now.
Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 18 immediately following the software's unveiling last week but while RCS support will be part of the final update, it isn't yet available in this build. At least, not officially.
But that hasn't stopped some people from finding a way to unlock it right now and by all accounts it works pretty much as you'd expect it to. Of course, that isn't to say that there aren't some caveats at the moment.
Getting the message
Screenshots of the unlocked and functioning RCS feature were shared to the X social network by @dhinakg alongside some details of what's working and what isn't.
The first thing to note is that RCS support appears to work only on AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States, but that will obviously change by the time iOS 18 is available to the world. We also know that group chats work as do file transfers, but some other components aren't yet working properly —including replies, which seems like a big one.
Apple hasn't yet confirmed exactly when it will make RCS available to beta testers, but with iOS 18 set to be released in public beta form next month, it's possible the two things could coincide.
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