SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, the three mobile carriers in Korea, said on the 19th that Apple's recent iOS 26 update will enable RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging on iPhones in Korea.
RCS is an evolved standard for text messaging that offers an enhanced messaging experience, including group chats, high-quality photo sharing, read receipts, and a "typing" indicator. iPhone has been rolling out RCS in stages since late last year, and with this update, iPhone users in Korea can also use RCS. However, to use RCS, you need an iPhone 11 series or later model running iOS 26 or higher.
With this update, iPhone users in Korea can start group chats with up to 100 people and experience various RCS features such as real-time read receipts, the "typing" indicator, and reply. Emojis are also supported, allowing users to express emotions more fully. The 1MB attachment limit of MMS has been greatly expanded, enabling free sharing of high-quality photos and videos. Attachments of 5MB or less are not charged for data, so they can be used without worrying about fees.
RCS also delivers corporations' messages in a more diverse and visually appealing format, allowing users to check items such as card usage history at a glance. In particular, the "brand profile" feature is applied, so when receiving messages from corporations registered with RCS, users can easily check information such as the sender's logo and contact details and safely verify the messages.