GOOGLE HAILS 1 BILLION DAILY RCS MESSAGES IN U.S. WITH IPHONE BOOST

Google revealed this week that Americans are sending over 1 billion Rich Communication Services (RCS) messages every day, a massive leap fueled by Apple’s decision to embrace RCS in iOS 18 last September.

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This milestone, based on a 28-day average, shows how RCS has transformed texting between iPhones and Android phones, bringing crisp photos, group chat flair, and typing bubbles to conversations that used to be stuck in SMS limbo.

For anyone with a smartphone, app makers, or folks in the telecom world, it’s a sign that RCS is becoming the go-to for cross-platform chats, making those blurry green-bubble texts a thing of the past.

Apple’s move to support RCS, after years of nudging from Google, has supercharged its adoption, especially since iOS 18 rolled out. With Google Messages already boasting over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, and apps like TikTok hitting 170 million users in the U.S., RCS is riding a wave of momentum.

It's not quite at the level of the 6 billion SMS and MMS messages sent daily in the U.S., but it’s closing the gap fast. The catch? Not all carriers are fully on board, and encryption gaps linger, but the billion-a-day mark proves RCS is reshaping how we text.

RCS MESSAGE VOLUME SOARS

Over 1 billion RCS messages zip through U.S. phones each day, a figure Google pegged from a 28-day average in early 2025. That’s a huge jump from the 1 billion monthly active users Google Messages reported back in November 2023.