Apple will finally adopt the RCS protocol on its iPhone. Apple’s messaging platform comes under intense pressure from companies like Google and Samsung will soon replace SMS and MMS protocols with RCS. In fact, rumors say that the technology will arrive as soon as this year, 2024.

Now, thanks to information from John Gruber over at Daring Fireball, we have managed to discover: China also put pressure on Appleindirectly, to incorporate RCS protocol technology into your iPhone.

Apple announced support for RCS messaging in November 2023, stating: Its arrival will occur at the end of 2024.

China forces Apple to adopt RCS protocol

by account John Gruberafter researching over the last few months “Apple’s hand has indeed been forced, but by China, not the US.”

Apparently there’s a new law in China Devices with 5G connectivity required to support RCS To obtain confirmation of your certification in the Asia region.

Chinese operators encourage adoption of RCS protocols It is among the main manufacturers that have been trading in the country for years. Last year, the Chinese government began the process of legalizing the use of RCS technology for certification of 5G devices.

“Apple would prefer to ignore RCS on the grounds that they do not want to offer support for any new E2EE protocols.” […] iOS’s RCS support comes entirely from China.”

On the other hand, we also learned that Apple will not open iMessage to other platforms and will avoid the European Commission’s Digital Markets Law regulations. Therefore, although it uses the RCS protocol, it will not be available on Android and will not be interoperable with other applications.