Why Doesn’t My iPhone Support RCS in Kenya?

It’s been almost a year since Apple announced it would support Rich Communication Services (RCS) on iPhones. The news made headlines in 2023. The feature began rolling out with iOS 18 and its subsequent 18.1 update — finally bridging the frustrating gap between Android and iPhone messaging. For many around the world, that green bubble-blue bubble problem? Practically solved.

But here in Kenya, I’m still staring at the same old green bubbles — no typing indicators, no high-res media, no read receipts. And worse, the RCS setting doesn’t even exist on my iPhone.

A Feature You Pay for, But Can’t Use

We’ve had this issue before. When we bought an Apple Watch with ECG, we discovered the feature was disabled in Kenya. It didn’t matter that the hardware supported it or that we’d paid full price for the device — Apple had region-locked it.

Now, with RCS, I’m experiencing the same kind of exclusion. Once again, Apple users in Africa — particularly in Kenya — are being left behind in a global rollout of something as fundamental as modern messaging.

So What Exactly Is RCS?

Think of RCS as SMS and MMS finally catching up to the internet age. It supports:

• Read receipts
• Typing indicators
• High-quality image and video sharing
• Better group messaging
• Encryption (at least partially)

And most importantly, it allows iPhones and Android phones to talk to each other more like they do in popular apps like WhatsApp or Telegram — but through the native messaging app.

Apple announced it would finally support RCS in 2023, and with iOS 18’s release in September 2024, users in countries like the United States, Canada, the UK, and parts of Europe began enjoying it. RCS on iPhone was enabled through software updates, including carrier-specific bundles, just like 5G and VoLTE were introduced before.

In Kenya? Still nothing.

Where Is the Hold-Up?

Based on Apple’s own documentation, the answer seems to lie with the carriers. To support RCS on iPhones, mobile carriers must:

1. Deploy RCS backend infrastructure (Universal Profile-compliant servers)
2. Collaborate with Apple for testing, integration, and official support
3. Push updated carrier bundles through Apple’s systems

In the US, major carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile had this ready on day one. In Europe, providers like BASE (Belgium), EE (UK), and Orange Spain enabled RCS in late 2024 or early 2025.

In Africa? Not a single country or carrier is listed as supported by Apple. That includes Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom in Kenya — all official Apple carrier partners.

Even though these same carriers support RCS for Android (through Google Messages), they haven’t made any public statements about enabling it for iPhones. There’s no testing roadmap, no beta program, and no mention on Apple’s regional support pages.

It feels like the feature doesn’t exist here at all.

The Silence from Carriers and Apple

South African media like TechCentral reported that some carriers, like Telkom, were “testing” RCS for iPhones. Others, like MTN, were still in feasibility studies. That was months ago. No dates have been provided. No progress updates have been shared.

In Kenya, it’s been radio silence.

There’s no RCS toggle under Settings → Messages. Nothing in Safaricom’s announcements. No statements from Airtel. Apple hasn’t updated its “Wireless Carrier Support” pages to include any African operators under the RCS section.

We’re left guessing. Again.

A Pattern of Digital Exclusion

Let’s be honest — this isn’t just about RCS. It’s part of a long-running pattern. Africa is always an afterthought in global tech rollouts. We get features late or not at all:

• Apple Watch ECG is still unavailable in Kenya and most of Africa.
• Apple News, Apple Card, and Apple Cash? U.S.-only.
• Apple Pay has barely scratched the surface of the continent.

And it’s not just Apple. We see this from Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and many others. Africa is treated as an “eventual market” — not a priority.

Why Does This Matter?

Because we’re not second-class users. We buy these devices at full price — often paying more due to import taxes and exchange rates. We contribute to the global tech ecosystem. And we’re more digitally active than many realize. Kenya leads in mobile money. African developers are building incredible apps. Young people across the continent are driving the creator economy.

So why are we still waiting to text our Android friends properly?

The Questions I Want Answered

• Is Apple waiting for carriers like Safaricom and Airtel to implement the right infrastructure?
• Are these carriers dragging their feet due to cost, regulation, or demand?
• Why isn’t Apple working faster with African partners to bridge this gap?
• And if this is purely about infrastructure, where’s the transparency?

If you’re going to lock features behind region and carrier support, the least you can do is communicate why, and when things might change.

We Deserve Better

I love my iPhone. I love Apple’s ecosystem. But it’s exhausting to always be the last in line. Or worse — to be excluded altogether.

RCS is not a luxury. It’s a modern communication standard. If I can’t even toggle it on my iPhone because of where I live, what else am I being quietly left out of?

It’s time Apple and its carrier partners prioritized Kenya and the rest of Africa. Because the longer this delay continues, the more it feels like we’re not part of the future they’re building — just watching it roll out from the sidelines.