In a support document that it has since deleted, Australian carrier Telstra said RCS support would be available starting with an iOS update coming in December. If this timeframe remains accurate, iPhone users with Telstra will likely be able to use RCS in the Messages app starting with iOS 27.3.
RCS offers many benefits over the traditional SMS standard for text messaging with Android users, including end-to-end encryption, read receipts, typing indicators, in-line replies, and more. Apple maintains a list of supported carriers that users can check to see which networks currently support the standard.
The timing comes as Apple continues its fall software cycle. After releasing iOS 27 last week, Apple is already testing a follow-up iOS 27.0.1 update for iPhones, according to MacRumors logs. That update will likely be a minor release with bug fixes and security patches, a common pattern shortly after new iPhone models reach customers.
Apple has also confirmed to 9to5Mac that it plans to release a software update early next week to fix a Face ID issue affecting some iPhone 18 Pro users. Separately, T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom are the first carriers to offer the new iPhone Handoff feature in iOS 27, which lets users switch between two iPhones using the same phone number. Apple said Verizon and EE will add support later this year, while AT&T has been noncommittal.
Source: MacRumors · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing