SMS vs. RCS: What Every Subscriber Needs to Know

Texting has come a long way since the early days of flip phones. Today, two main technologies power our everyday messages: SMS (Short Message Service) and RCS (Rich Communication Services). Both have their place, but as of 2025, RCS is finally stepping into the spotlight—especially with iPhone and Android now playing nice.

At Trump℠ Mobile, we want you to know what this means for your experience.

SMS – The Classic Workhorse

SMS has been around since the ’90s and is still the backbone of mobile messaging. It works on just about any phone, doesn’t need an internet connection, and is perfect for short, simple alerts.

What it’s great for: login codes, appointment reminders, security alerts.
The downsides: limited to 160 characters, no images or video (unless you switch to MMS), and no modern features like read receipts or typing indicators.

Think of SMS as the trusty old pickup truck—reliable, but not exactly built for today’s flashy, media-rich world.

RCS – The Modern Upgrade

RCS is like SMS on steroids. It’s built for today’s smartphones and gives you the same type of rich experience you’d expect from apps like iMessage or WhatsApp—only without needing a separate app.

Here’s what you get with RCS:

Send high-quality photos, videos, and even audio files.
See when your message was delivered and read.
Know when the other person is typing back.
Create group chats that actually work smoothly.
Brands can add logos, quick-reply buttons, and carousels to make messages more interactive.

In short: it feels less like old-school texting and more like a full conversation platform.

Big Shift : iPhone Finally Supports RCS

For years, RCS was mostly an Android thing. But in late 2024, Apple added RCS to iOS 18. That means for the first time, iPhone and Android users can finally enjoy the same rich messaging features across platforms.

Messages between iPhone and Android now support read receipts, typing indicators, and full-quality photos/videos.
You can unsend messages in Google Messages within 15 minutes—no more embarrassing typos hanging over your head.
RCS is rolling out end-to-end encryption as the standard, making chats safer than traditional SMS.

It’s not perfect yet—iPhones still show RCS messages as green bubbles—but it’s a major step forward for universal messaging.

Feature	SMS	RCS
Character Limit	160	Practically unlimited
Media	None (basic MMS for images)	High-res images, videos, audio, files
Read Receipts	No	Yes
Typing Indicators	No	Yes
Group Chats	Clunky (via MMS)	Seamless
Works Without Internet	Yes	No (needs data or Wi-Fi)
Security	Basic, unencrypted	Encrypted, with stronger standards coming

When to Use Each

SMS is still king for reach. It works everywhere, even on older phones or without internet. That makes it perfect for security codes, emergency alerts, and time-sensitive updates.
RCS is the better choice when you want engagement—marketing campaigns, interactive promos, surveys, or sending rich media like videos and carousels.

Most carriers (including Trump℠ Mobile) now use a hybrid approach: if a device doesn’t support RCS, the message automatically falls back to SMS. That way, nothing gets lost.

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The Bottom Line

SMS isn’t going away anytime soon—it’s too universal and reliable. But RCS is clearly the future of texting.

For Trump℠ Mobile customers, that means you get the best of both worlds: the rock-solid dependability of SMS and the rich, interactive features of RCS.

Smart messaging strategy? Use SMS for reach. Use RCS for impact. Together, they make every message count.