the operators work more or less in Switzerland

Some foreign operators understood the importance of RCS, the successor to SMS, and deployed it without delay for owners of Apple smartphones (the iPhone 16 Pro test) under iOS 18. Switzerland is lagging behind. Once again, our operators do not shine when it comes to “digitalization”, but they do use it when it suits them! Overview.

Let’s start with Salt which seems the most up to date and gave me the most promising answer. “The RCS protocol is indeed compatible with iOS 18, but Google’s “over the top” solution, currently already available for Salt customers, is not supported by Apple,” according to Viola Lebel, port -Salt’s word.

“This means that a dedicated solution is required for RCS to work properly on iOS. We are currently studying possible options for the integration of this technology, but we cannot yet provide a precise date for its implementation,” she specifies. Phew, an operator in on the action!

RCS: what does Swisscom do?

What about Swisscom? “In Switzerland, RCS is currently offered exclusively by Google and can be used on Android devices with the “Messages” application. Apple has meanwhile activated RCS in the first countries with the deployment of iOS 18.0 and can be used via the existing “Messages” application,” says Alicia Richon, spokesperson for the former monopolist.

“Swisscom is currently in discussions with Google and Apple about a possible introduction. It is not yet possible to say if and when RCS will be available on Apple devices in the Swisscom network. It depends on the partners, underlines the communications specialist of the blue giant, who should defend this “universal” standard… Ouch!

Sunrise (UPC) follows the file

Last hope at Sunrise (UPC)… “We also closely follow new applications, services, trends such as the development of RCS. We don’t yet know when we are going to introduce RCS,” replies, a little more reassuringly, Séverine de Rougemont, Senior Strategic Communication Manager.

My comment? While the Swiss sometimes continue to pay dearly for their mobile subscription, we can be surprised by a certain laxity. But there you have it, some are too busy conquering new markets abroad and others trying to get the maximum profit without investing too much. Long live digital in Switzerland!

Xavier Studer

PS
For possible problems of technical incompetence, we can only advise our operators to contact SFR in France, a pioneer in this area.