RCS 4.0 finally fixes the one thing that made me consider buying an iPhone

On March 26, the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association, the governing body that maintains the RCS standard) announced RCS Universal Profile 4.0. The profile includes several key updates, but the highlight is native video calling for messaging apps — something that might finally close one of the biggest feature gaps between Android and iPhone.

What’s new in RCS 4.0

RCS Universal Profile 4.0 contains three major new features: Native video calling support, rich text in messages, and Rich Card optimizations for businesses.

Native support for video calls in messaging apps

This is the big one. The feature will allow you to “escalate any RCS 1‑to‑1 or group messaging session directly into a video call.” This fully integrated in the messaging conversation thread, so the transition is seamless. New members can even join an existing call after it’s started. The goal is a “natively supported video call experience that’s interoperable across a wide range of devices and networks.”

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Rich text and higher-quality media for messaging

This feature will “enable users to apply expressive styling to their RCS messages, such as bold, italics, and strikethrough.” Higher quality videos, images, and audio recordings are also part of the standard.

Video streaming and link optimizations for businesses

Lastly, Rich Cards for businesses will get some new features. If you’re not familiar with these, they’re interactive cards that appear in message threads, containing links and media. The new features include the ability to embed streaming video — previously, the content would need to be downloaded. Link handling will also get some upgrades.

Why native video calling is such a big deal

Streamlined calling, at last?

Let’s be honest for a minute: the video calling situation on Android is a mess. There are tons of apps, and nobody seems able to agree on which one should be used. Some people use WhatsApp, some use Google Meet, some use Facebook Messenger, some use Telegram… you get the picture. At best, this means juggling multiple apps to call different people (and never remembering who uses what). At worst, nobody can agree on one, and the calls just never happen.

As much as I love Android, I have to admit this is a major disadvantage compared to Apple. FaceTime is on every iPhone (and iPad, and Mac), and it just works — no fuss, no questions. The ability to easily FaceTime others is one of the major draws for people switching to iPhones. In my own case, I prefer Android, but my family is on iPhone, and there’s enough friction that I’ve been strongly considering making the switch (although it’s possible I’d regret it). Native, cross-platform calling would take away a lot of the incentive.

Native video calling solves all this. One app that works seamlessly across phones and platforms makes everyone’s life a little easier. Of course, Android-to-Apple calling will depend on Apple’s willingness to implement the standard — it took years for the company to adopt RCS at all, and encrypted RCS is still in the works. But I’m hopeful.

RCS Universal Profile 4.0 is technically available now, but it’ll take some time for it to be implemented into apps and devices. Traditionally, Google is pretty quick to adopt these new standards, while Apple drags its feet. Keep your eyes peeled over the coming year.