Cross‑platform video via RCS
An update to RCS (Universal Profile 4.0) could enable iPhone‑to‑Android native video calls, creating a new interoperability vector for Apple’s messaging stack. That shift has product and platform implications for teams working on messaging, codecs, and App Store policy alignment (x.com).
GSMA published and finalised RCS Universal Profile 4.0 on March 26, 2026, and the newsroom announcement names "Messaging‑Initiated Video Calls" (MIVC) as a headline addition to the spec. (gsma.com (gsma.com)) The formal Universal Profile documents state interoperable video calls can be initiated from any RCS chat and the profiles set an upper limit of 32 participants for those calls. (gsma.com (gsma.com)) The spec requires continuity features: group members may join an ongoing MIVC after it starts and MIVC session logs are synchronised into the chat timeline for the conversation. (gsma.com (gsma.com)) Universal Profile 4.0 also mandates that devices discover peer‑supported media formats and choose optimal encodings, moving codec negotiation and media‑path decisions into client and network implementations. (gsma.com (gsma.com)) Apple added RCS support to the Messages app (iOS 18) with carrier‑activated RCS behaviour documented in its support pages, meaning RCS features on iPhone are exposed through Apple’s Messages client. (support.apple.com (support.apple.com)) Apple has been actively testing cross‑platform RCS end‑to‑end encryption in iOS 26 betas (iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.5 beta), indicating ongoing work to align Messages’ security model with RCS E2EE before wide deployment. (macrumors.com (macrumors.com); 9to5mac.com (9to5mac.com)) Carriers and OEMs must activate and ship client support before users see MIVC in the wild, and analysts note that broad device availability could lag the spec — with rollouts likely dependent on carrier provisioning and vendor schedules that may push adoption into late‑2026 or 2027. (gsma.com (gsma.com); androidheadlines.com (androidheadlines.com)) The technical and product surface now identified by the spec includes explicit client codec/media‑format support requirements, carrier provisioning/activation of RCS services, and interaction with iOS messaging defaults and client behavior — iOS already exposes a default‑messaging app setting introduced in recent releases that will affect whether MIVC lives in Apple’s Messages client or third‑party apps. (gsma.com (gsma.com); techcrunch.com (techcrunch.com))
