Australian carrier Telstra appears to have let slip that RCS messaging is on its way to iPhone, with a support page pointing to an iOS update arriving in December, MacRumors reports.
According to the report, the Telstra support document said RCS, or Rich Communication Services, would come to iPhones through "an iOS update coming in December." The page has since been removed, though MacRumors found an archived copy dated October 16, 2026.
Telstra's wording did not name a specific software version. MacRumors infers that, if the December timing holds, Telstra customers would most likely get RCS in the Messages app with iOS 27.3. Neither Telstra nor Apple has confirmed that version number, and the report does not mention any evidence in beta code.
What RCS adds
RCS is the carrier-supported successor to SMS and MMS. When an iPhone user messages someone on Android, it enables features such as typing indicators, read receipts and inline replies, and the report notes end-to-end encryption as one of the benefits. Messages between iPhones continue to use iMessage.
Support on iPhone is rolled out carrier by carrier. Apple maintains a public list of carriers that support RCS on iPhone, and a network has to appear on that list before its customers can use the feature. Telstra is not currently among the carriers the report describes as supported.
What to watch
Because the support page was deleted, it is unclear whether the December date is firm or was published ahead of schedule. Apple has not commented on Telstra's plans. If the timing is accurate, the first sign would likely be Telstra's name appearing on Apple's carrier list or in an iOS 27.3 beta.
For now, treat the December timeline as a carrier-sourced indication rather than an Apple announcement. We will update this story if Apple or Telstra confirms the details.
Source: MacRumors, citing Telstra's now-deleted support document.
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