The iOS 18.2 update will bring RCS support to Free Mobile and Bouygues Telecom, after an exclusive deployment to SFR in iOS 18.0. The fate of Orange subscribers is still unknown, but they should also be entitled to it.
With the arrival of RCS, SMS and MMS are living their last days. This technology for text messages, available on Android since 2019 and on iOS since 2024, allows the exchange of messages with acknowledgments of receipt, the sending of attachments in high definition and the creation of group conversations. It aims to simplify exchanges between two telephone numbers, while making them secure.
With iOS 18.0, Apple finally got into RCS. The brand has nevertheless chosen to leave responsibility for its deployment to each operator, who must create their own servers to manage the distribution of messages. Only SFR was ready in September, with Orange, Free and Bouygues waiting. At the beginning of December, with iOS 18.2, Apple will deploy the function to other operators.
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RCS on iPhone from November 2024?
Beta version 2 of the iOS 18.2 update, available since November 4, introduces RCS to Free and Bouygues Telecom.
Both operators allow the technology to be activated to send enriched messages. Orange could also offer RCS with this version, but there is no trace of the operator in the settings. It could be that beta 3 of iOS 18.2, which will arrive soon, will deploy the function at Orange.
Despite the arrival of RCS, Free is not yet deploying 5G SA on iPhone. The operator had, however, suggested that Apple had the cards in hand to deploy 5G+, which is surprising given the update of its operator file. Why would Apple only respond favorably to half of Free’s requests?
According to Bloomberg media, the release of the iOS 18.2 update is scheduled for the first week of December. By then, Apple could release iOS 18.1.1, with the same operator files as in iOS 18.2. The wait for the RCS in France could therefore be shorter than expected, with an imminent arrival at Bouygues and Free.
In the meantime, SFR remains the only operator to officially support RCS in France. Most MVNOs (virtual operators) who use its network are also entitled to it.
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