RCS Universal Profile 4.0 Will Bring Native Video Call and Rich Text Support to Messaging Apps

Rich Communication Services (RCS) was first unveiled by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) in September 2008 as a secure means of peer-to-peer communication. The standard offers end-to-end encryption (E2EE), which means that intercepted text messages can not be accessed by a third party. Now, GSMA, the association that manages RCS, sets rules and standards for the protocol, has announced that with the new RCS Universal Profile 4.0, it will also bring native video call support to messaging apps, apart from Rich Text with expressive styling and Rich Cards with video embeds. However, Google and Apple have yet to announce the integration of the new standard.

RCS Universal Profile 4.0 Introduces Native Video Call, Rich Text and Rich Cards

On Thursday, GSMA Technical Director Tom Van Pelt introduced the RCS Universal Profile 4.0, stating that the latest RCS standard will bring native video call support to messaging apps, owing to the integration of the new Messaging‑Initiated Video Calls (MIVC). MIVC allows users to initiate video calls directly from the text messaging window, whether it is a one-to-one text chain or a group chat.

GSMA highlighted that MIVC is also capable of allowing other group members to join an ongoing video call, similar to how WhatsApp functions. Users will be able to accept the request to join video calls even if they were not able to do so when the video call was initiated. On top of this, MIVC is claimed to pave the way for the “first natively supported video call experience” that can operate across a wide range of devices and cellular networks.

The RCS Universal Profile 4.0 will also bring Rich Text messaging, which will allow users to “apply expressive” text styles to their messages. For example, users will be able to bold and italicise the text messages or strikethrough something they sent by mistake. GSMA's RCS Universal Profile 4.0 also supports backward compatibility, which means that it will prompt users to review the plain-text version of their text message. Moreover, it enables the exchange of higher-quality audio, video, and messages.

Lastly, the RCS Universal Profile 4.0 brings Rich Cards for business message senders, allowing them to embed streaming video links into messages. This will eliminate the need for users to download the videos in order to view them, as they can simply stream them within the message window. It will also offer greater control to businesses over how the said links are opened, reducing the times a user has to leave the chat window for specific actions, including viewing a restaurant menu. Meanwhile, for complex tasks, like making payments, businesses can redirect recipients to dedicated apps.