iOS 18.1.1 messed up RCS messaging between iPhone and Android users

While Apple’s iOS 18.1.1 update brought critical security fixes, it seems to have wreaked havoc on RCS messaging. iPhone and Android users alike are reporting some head-scratching glitches in how RCS and SMS are behaving lately, and all fingers — well, not quite yet — are tentatively pointing at Apple’s recent iOS 18.1.1 update. But let’s not jump to conclusions too fast.

It all starts with two camps of frustrated users: iPhone users updating to iOS 18.1.1 and Android fans trying to hold onto their RCS-powered peace of mind. On one side, iOS users are noticing issues with delayed or disappearing SMS messages, especially when chatting with their Android friends. Meanwhile, Android users are scratching their heads over RCS messages stubbornly refusing to send or, even weirder, arriving out of order when chatting with iPhone users.

Now, let’s be clear — there’s no smoking gun linking these woes to iOS 18.1.1, but the timing is suspiciously close. Reports started trickling in shortly after Apple rolled out the update, leading to speculation that something in the update might have upset the delicate balance of the new messaging ecosystem.

Looking at the examples from frustrated users, it’s clear that these messaging hiccups are wreaking havoc on everything from basic communication to group chat harmony. In one instance, messages sent from an Android phone show up as SMS instead of RCS — an instant downgrade in today’s emoji-filled, read-receipt-obsessed world. In another, users complain about alternating messages switching between RCS and SMS, creating an utterly confusing thread.

Even more bizarre, some Android users report that their messages are being sent multiple times or aren’t going through at all when messaging iPhones, with no pattern or logic to when this happens. And then there are those cryptic “message not delivered” errors popping up for no apparent reason.

It’s not just Android-to-iPhone chats going haywire. iPhone users updating to iOS 18.1.1 are also grumbling about delayed SMS messages and outright failures to send or receive texts. It’s as if the messaging gods decided to flip the chaos switch and let all platforms deal with the fallout.

This RCS versus SMS saga is nothing new — Android users have long enjoyed RCS’s perks like typing indicators and read receipts, while iPhone users stick to the proprietary iMessage for their blue-bubble bliss. But when glitches like this crop up, it reignites the debate about why these systems can’t just play nice.

Could the timing of iOS 18.1.1 be pure coincidence? Possibly. But there’s a growing sense in the user community that Apple’s update may have done something to throw a wrench into SMS and RCS compatibility. Whether it’s a subtle bug or an unintended side effect, no one really knows.

For now, there’s no official acknowledgment of the issue from Apple or Google. Some have suggested forcing RCS chats back to SMS as a temporary fix, while others recommend re-enabling RCS on Android devices to reset the connection. iPhone users, on the other hand, may want to double-check their SMS settings and hope Apple pushes out another update soon.

As RCS continues its uphill battle to replace SMS as the global messaging standard, glitches like these are bound to happen. For now, we’ll have to live with the chaos. Whether or not iOS 18.1.1 is to blame remains to be seen.