Apple said iMessage remains the best messaging experience for users despite the rollout of Rich Communication Services (RCS) [1, 2].
This stance comes as the company attempts to balance its closed ecosystem with growing pressure to improve interoperability between iPhones and Android devices. While RCS aims to standardize messaging across platforms, Apple continues to position its proprietary "blue bubbles" as the premium choice for consumers.
According to company statements reported Tuesday, Apple said that iMessage offers superior privacy, security, and user experience compared with RCS [1, 2]. The company maintains that its native service provides a level of integration and protection that open standards cannot match.
These assertions follow the release of iOS 26.5 [3]. This software update introduced three new iPhone features [3]. Notably, iOS 26.5 enables end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between iOS and Android devices [3]. This move addresses a long-standing criticism regarding the security of "green bubble" messages sent to non-Apple devices.
The distinction between the two systems has been a central part of the iPhone identity for 15 years [4]. By adding encryption to RCS, Apple has closed one of the primary security gaps between the two platforms, yet it continues to market iMessage as the gold standard.
Apple has not provided specific technical metrics to support the claim that iMessage remains the superior experience over the newly encrypted RCS standard [1, 2]. However, the company continues to emphasize the unique features available only to those using iMessage on Apple hardware.
“Apple says iMessage (blue bubbles) is still the best.”
Apple is attempting to maintain the perceived exclusivity and value of its ecosystem while simultaneously complying with technical demands for better cross-platform security. By introducing end-to-end encryption for RCS in iOS 26.5, Apple removes a major security argument against Android, but by publicly insisting iMessage is still 'best,' it seeks to prevent the devaluation of the iMessage brand as a primary driver for iPhone hardware sales.
