This app finally brings RCS messages to the iPhone and Google must be thrilled

If there’s one thing that Google likes to complain about when it comes to iPhones, it’s the lack of RCS support. The SMS replacement is similar to iMessage in a lot of ways, but Apple’s Messages app doesn’t support it. Google wishes it did, but now a new app is working around Apple to bring RCS to the iPhone.

RCS allows all the cool things like reactions, media, read receipts, and more. Apple hasn’t added support for RCS to the messages app but that hasn’t stopped one intrepid developer from doing it instead.

The only problem? It’s only available in beta.

RCS, coming soon?

While Google continues to scold Apple for the lack of RCS support, the developers behind Beeper have gone ahead and created their own solution instead.

Android Authority reports that it’s available in beta form with Beeper claiming that it works fine for sending and receiving things like emoji reactions. « The new capability even sends and shows tapbacks from iPhone users, » the report says.

It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though.

« That said, there are some known issues that Beeper is trying to fix, » the report explains. « Display picture avatars don’t show up yet, past history is not fully synced up yet, read receipts are not supported for groups, and typing indicators are not yet active. We hope Beeper fixes these issues when the feature steps out of beta. »

When that will actually happen remains to be seen and it’s still quite different from Apple adding support for RCS proper. If iPhone owners are going to have to use a third-party app to get RCS, they might as well use other apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. That relies on their Android-toting friends and family doing the same of course, which might be more of an issue than it’s worth.