With its arrival on the iPhone on iOS 18, the RCS protocol has seen strong exposure to the general public at the end of 2024. In its latest report, the af2m (French Association for the Development of Multi-Operator Multimedia Services and Uses) draws a very positive assessment of the evolution of the protocol supposed to replace SMS in France in its latest report.
In the second quarter of 2025, the rate of RCS-compatible Android and iOS smartphones will be 60%, a significant increase of 12 points compared to the 48% measured at the very end of 2024. The explanation is simple: the iPhone, one of the market leaders, having switched to RCS, there is a mechanical effect on the rate of equipment of this technology. Especially when the four historical operators followed immediately. The association suggests that we could reach 85% by the end of 2025.
This represents a total of 38.1 million devices in France. The af2M emphasizes that this represents an increase of 10 million terminals in the space of 6 months.
Brands attracted by the RCS protocol
The a2fm report focuses on a very specific point: the use of RCS by brands. It states that between March 2024 and February 2025, 267 brands launched campaigns via RCS, a figure up 55% compared to their previous study.
Renan Abgrall, President of af2m, highlights the following:
The advantages appear to be numerous for these companies: they can obtain an acknowledgment of receipt and send content in high resolution. Furthermore, in most cases, RCS is synonymous with data encryption, even if this is not yet part of the protocol itself. Enough to secure possible exchanges.
Source: af2m Q2 2025 report
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