How iOS 18 RCS Read Receipts Work

With the release of iOS 18, Apple added support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) Universal Profile, enabling modern messaging features between iPhone and Android users. A major component of this update is cross-platform read receipts, which allow both parties to see when a text has been opened, provided both carrier support and user permissions are active.

The Mechanism Behind RCS Read Receipts

RCS replaces traditional SMS/MMS protocols with data-based messaging via the GSMA Universal Profile standard. When an iPhone running iOS 18 communicates with an Android device using Google Messages (or another RCS-compliant client), the messages are transmitted over cellular data or Wi-Fi.

Once a message reaches the recipient's device, an automated "Delivered" receipt is sent back to the sender. When the recipient opens the conversation, the application sends a separate "Read" status event back through the RCS network, updating the sender's screen in near real-time.

Visual Indicators Across Platforms

  • On iPhone: When sending an RCS message to an Android device, the text bubble appears green with the label "Text Message • RCS" in the text field. Beneath the message bubble, the status will transition from "Delivered" to "Read" alongside a timestamp, identical to the behavior in iMessage.
  • On Android: Google Messages displays delivery and read confirmations using checkmarks. A single checkmark indicates the message was sent, a double checkmark indicates it was delivered, and filled-in double checkmarks denote that the iPhone recipient has read the text.

User Privacy and Controls in iOS 18

Read receipts are not mandatory and can be toggled on or off depending on user preference:

  1. Global Toggle: In iOS 18, go to Settings > Apps > Messages. Under the RCS settings section, users can enable or disable the Send Read Receipts option. Disabling this prevents your iPhone from sending read confirmations to Android contacts across all RCS conversations.
  2. Individual Conversations: iOS allows granular control. Tapping a contact's profile at the top of an active RCS conversation allows the user to override global settings and toggle "Send Read Receipts" for that specific individual.

Requirements for Cross-Platform Read Receipts

For read receipts to function properly between iOS 18 and Android devices, three conditions must be met:

  • Carrier Support: The mobile carriers for both sender and recipient must actively support RCS for iOS.
  • Feature Activation: Both users must have RCS enabled in their device settings. If either party falls back to SMS/MMS, read receipts will not work.
  • Sender/Recipient Permissions: If the receiving party has disabled read receipts on their device, the sender will only see a "Delivered" notification, regardless of whether the message has been opened.