RCS vs iMessage: A Detailed Comparison to Help You Choose

RCS vs iMessage: What’s the difference? On the surface, both of these solutions for two-way text messaging seem pretty similar. They’re both person-to-person (P2P) messaging solutions that enable access to multimedia messaging opportunities (the ability to send video, images, and more over text).

Additionally, unlike OTT (over-the-top) messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, RCS and iMessage don’t require users to download any specific apps. They can be accessed directly through your phone’s standard messaging service.

Plus, both iMessage and RCS have a few benefits over the golden standard for text-based communications: SMS. Though they don’t have the same reach and accessibility as SMS (more on that later), they do enable companies to send more interactive, engaging messages to customers.

So, what’s the difference? Here’s everything you need to know about the core differences between RCS messaging vs iMessage for both consumers and businesses.

RCS vs IMessage for Person-to-Person Messaging

Both RCS and iMessage offer an alternative to multimedia messaging services (MMS), enabling users to send texts that feature a number of different components, from text to audio. Learn more about the MMS vs RCS debate here. They also both function similarly to OTT messaging platforms like WhatsApp, enabling access to interactive features, read receipts, typing indicators and more.

Unlike traditional SMS and MMS messages, both RCS and iMessage also travel over Wi-Fi or mobile data connections, rather than relying exclusively on carrier connections. But there are some key differences between them.

Here’s a quick rundown of what RCS and iMessage are and how they work.

RCS vs iMessage: What is RCS?

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a modern communication protocol developed by the GSM Association as an alternative to SMS or MMS. It enables a rich messaging experience that enables content sent via phones to include maps, videos, forms, buttons, images, voice, and more.

Previously, RCS was seen as the “Android” or Google alternative to MMS, because it was only available on Android devices. For years, Apple avoided introducing RCS to their consumer and enterprise messaging solutions, because it already had iMessage.

However, growing demand for RCS prompted Apple to introduce RCS for P2P messaging in some markets, with the introduction of iOS 18. This means that Android and iPhone users that message each other can now access the same rich messaging experience, regardless of their operating system.

They can gain access to the multimedia abilities of RCS as well as unique features, like typing indicators, read receipts, and advanced security (more on that later).

iMessage vs RCS: What is iMessage?

iMessage is the proprietary instant messaging service for iOS devices (like iPhones), created by Apple. It’s very similar to RCS, as it supports text, photos, videos, locations and other rich media. It also transmits messages over an Internet Protocol, using Wi-Fi or Cellular data.

The global popularity of Apple’s devices has made iMessage one of the most popular messaging formats over the years. Although iMessage still doesn’t have as much reach as standard SMS, it does have about 2 billion users worldwide.

In the RCS vs iMessage debate, what really makes iMessage unique is that it’s exclusive to the Apple operating system. If a user sent an iMessage to a phone with RCS enabled, they would now be able to read the multimedia message and access similar features.

However, not every smartphone outside of the Apple ecosystem supports RCS. There are around one billion monthly active Android users with RCS enabled. When a device doesn’t support RCS, the message reverts to SMS (one of the reasons why SMS is still crucial today).

RCS vs iMessage: Feature Comparison for P2P Users

Both RCS and iMessage have similar features, and they’re both great for multimedia, interactive messaging experiences – particularly if you don’t want to rely on downloading a third-party app. But there are some core differences between the two:

Security and Adoption: The Biggest Differences

For the most part, RCS and iMessage are almost exactly the same. Where they really differ, from both a customer and user perspective, is in terms of security and adoption. From an adoption perspective, while RCS is available on a wider range of devices (thanks to its open standards framework and ability to work with multiple operating systems), it’s not as accessible.

If you’re planning on using RCS for business messaging, for instance, you should be able to reach around 1 billion people worldwide, whereas iMessage has over 2 billion users. Notably, adoption of RCS is growing, and now that Apple supports RCS as well as iMessage, there’s a chance that the number of users accessing the messaging format will grow.

Recent data suggests around 700 million RCS messages are sent daily, and as more manufacturers implement this feature into their phones, adoption will increase.

The security factor is another big element. If you’ve ever considered creating SMS marketing campaigns before or are using SMS for customer service, you’ll know there are a lot of challenges to overcome. Alongside 10DLC SMS compliance guidelines, and the rules set by TCPA for compliant text messaging, standard texts don’t enable encryption.

RCS enables access to encryption for messages in transit – but end-to-end encryption availability depends on a number of factors, including the implementation method used by vendors and carriers.

iMessage, on the other hand, enables end-to-end encryption as standard, which could make it the safer option for companies using text messaging for customer service, sales, and marketing.

RBM vs AMB: Messaging for Businesses

The RCS vs iMessage debate isn’t just important for consumers – it’s something companies need to consider too. After all, around 38% of customers prefer using messaging channels for customer service, and many expect companies to use messaging tools to send them transactional messages about orders or account verification details.

Both RCS and iMessage offer access to “business messaging” services that allow companies to explore alternatives to SMS and MMS when communicating with customers.

What is RBM (RCS Business Messaging)?

RCS Business Messaging (RBM), created by Google allows businesses to build and initiate conversational messaging campaigns with customers. It empowers companies to send interactive, multimedia messages to their audience, similar to the messages they might get on channels like WhatsApp or Facebook messenger, without the need for a customer to download another app.

RBM offers a range of message types to businesses to allow them to reach consumers with branded messaging for things like marketing, sales, and customer service. All of these messages vary in cost and supported features, but generally offer more capabilities than standard SMS.

With a business text messaging platform, for instance, companies can use RBM to send messages to customers that include forms, clickable buttons, images, videos, and more.

What is AMB (Apple Messages for Business)?

AMB is basically the Apple branded version of RBM, similar to how iMessage is Apple’s version of RCS. The main difference is that with AMB, users can message businesses from Apple devices – but only they have the option to initiate a conversation.

Businesses can’t leverage mass texting capabilities to send unsolicited marketing messages or transactional texts to customers through AMB. This means AMB can easily adhere to compliance guidelines set by groups like The Campaign Registry and TCPA, but it also makes AMB essentially useless for business marketing and sales campaigns.

RBM vs AMB for Businesses: An Overview

Ultimately, while RBM and AMB offer access to similar features (just like RCS or WhatsApp), they serve very different use cases. Here’s a quick run-down of the main differences:

When to Use RBM vs AMB?

If you’re trying to choose between RCS messaging vs iMessage (AMB) as a business leader, it’s pretty easy to decide which option to use. Ultimately, if you want to initiate contact with a customer with rich messaging capabilities, you need RBM.

RCS Business Messaging is the only option of the two that will allow you to leverage both A2P and P2P texting capabilities to communicate with customers with marketing messages, sales campaigns, and customer service messages, without the customer contacting you first.

The biggest problem here is that although you can use AMB to send out newsletters, abandoned cart reminders, RCS marketing campaigns and more, your reach will be limited. Not every customer you connect with will have access to RCS (as mentioned above).

On the other hand, if your customers consist mostly of Apple fans or iPhone users, and you want to give them an option to reach you directly, AMB is a good choice. You won’t be able to directly reach out to your customers, but you can allow users to start conversations with you from a range of entry points, such as Safari, Apple Maps, or your website.

AMB also supports integrations with popular business tools, like Apple Pay, so customers can make purchases within a conversation. AMB makes sense if you want to help users complete tasks like asking questions, reporting issues, making support inquiries, or booking appointments.

Plus, AMB did recently introduce a new message type for North American businesses that allows companies to send “proactive notifications” to subscribers through a Messages app.

RCS vs iMessage: The Impact on SMS

At this point, you might be wondering what iMessage (AMB), and RCS (RBM) means for the future of SMS. The Short Message Service – still the golden standard messaging protocol for most users and companies, hasn’t changed much over the years. That means it does have some limitations compared to rich messaging formats like RCS and iMessage.

For instance, with SMS, you can only send text-based messages to customers, and you need a specific type of number, (such as a 10DLC number) to send mass messages. Plus, SMS doesn’t support end-to-end encryption, so there are various security and privacy concerns to think about.

However, in the battle of iMessage and RCS messaging vs SMS, the SMS landscape still has a few advantages. While RCS and iMessage have advantages, they can’t replace SMS. In fact, both protocols still rely on SMS as a fallback when an internet connection isn’t available.

Plus, SMS offers a few unique benefits:

• It’s the universal texting channel for all mobile phones, which means you can easily access billions of users anywhere, regardless of what type of device they’re using.
• SMS is still the simplest option for sending certain types of messages, such as messages containing two-factor authentication codes – which don’t require rich media.
• With an intuitive messaging platform, companies can combine SMS with conversational AI tools and automated systems to streamline customer communication.
• SMS doesn’t require users to download a specific tool, like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, and doesn’t rely on user accounts with certain technology providers.
• SMS is a better option for bulk business messaging, allowing companies to reach thousands of customers instantly, without huge costs.

Building the Ultimate Messaging Strategy

In the RCS vs iMessage debate, it’s safe to say that there are a lot of similarities between both solutions – both consumers and businesses. They both allow companies from any industry or environment to connect with contacts using rich media.

Both of these messaging solutions also offer access to advanced features, such as typing indicators and read receipts, and come with better encryption than SMS. However, neither option can replace SMS completely. SMS still offers the most reach, flexibility, and scale for organizations.

That’s why companies investing in a business messaging strategy need the flexibility to access all three options. With a platform like Clerk Chat, companies can leverage the universal benefits of SMS and MMS, as well as RCS, iMessage, and messaging through channels like WhatsApp.

Plus, with Clerk Chat, you gain access to unique tools, like conversational AI and chatbots for customer service and AI-powered SMS features that can help you to personalize interactions, schedule them more effectively, and draw more insights from campaign data.

Don’t limit yourself to choosing between iMessage, RCS, AMB, or RBM. Unlock the full power of business messaging, with Clerk Chat.