One of the big surprises this year was Apple’s embrace of RCS messaging for iMessage. Now, it looks like it’s working right. Oh, finally.

With the launch of iOS 18, Apple added support for RCS, or Rich Communication Services. RCS replaces SMS/MMS as the default messaging standard

Emoji reactions now display correctly between Android and iPhone users. Emoji reactions sent from Android users no longer show up as a separate text. Apple improved cross-platform texting with RCS support in iOS 18.

One key thing to note is that Apple has a history of supporting its iPhones for a long time. Not only are support options available for older iPhones, but Apple tends to keep its phones up to date with the latest software for many years. Should you decide to go with the iPhone 15, you’ll still have quite a few software upgrades in your future.

Apple this week made parts and tools for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max available to order through

Apple is warning investors that its new and future products might never be as profitable as the iPhone. The disclosure comes as the company is pursuing newer technologies like artificial intelligence and mixed-reality headsets.