Apple plans to make it easier to text between iPhones and Androids

With RCS, Apple users will be able to text Android users over WiFi and not just via cellular networks. They’ll also be able to send larger video and photo files, more easily operate group chats, and determine if messages are received and read. — AFP

In a major reversal, Apple Inc plans to adopt a technological standard next year that will allow text messaging to operate more smoothly between iPhones and Android devices.

The company had pushed back on the standard – known as RCS – for more than a year, even as Alphabet Inc’s Google and others pressed Apple to adopt the technology. RCS, short for rich communication services, is an upgrade over standard SMS and MMS texting that’s backed by the GSM Association.