RCS Universal Profile 4.0 Introduces Video Call and Rich Text Features

The global mobile industry standards body, GSMA, has officially finalised the Rich Communication Services (RCS) Universal Profile 4.0 specification. This update is touted as the most comprehensive enhancement in RCS history, designed to strengthen the global instant messaging ecosystem and deliver a more consistent experience for all smartphone users, regardless of their operating system. One of the main innovations in Profile 4.0 is the introduction of Messaging-Initiated Video Calls (MIVC). This feature allows users to convert text conversations, whether personal or group, into video calls directly within the messaging application without switching to third-party apps like WhatsApp, Google Meet, or FaceTime. The primary advantage of MIVC is its flexibility. Group members who miss the start of a call can join the ongoing video session directly. Additionally, all call logs will be automatically synchronised within the chat timeline, keeping conversation history neatly in one place. Furthermore, text expression aspects have received significant attention. Starting in 2026, the RCS standard will finally support rich text formatting, enabling users to apply bold, italics, and strikethrough styles. To ensure comfort, GSMA has prepared an intelligent fallback mechanism. If a formatted message is sent to a device using an older version, the system will automatically prompt the user to view the plain text version to avoid formatting codes disrupting readability. Through a more advanced handshake system, sending and receiving devices can now identify each other’s supported media formats. This enables the selection of the highest quality audio and video encoding that both devices can handle. In the business messaging segment, the user experience will feel more like web browsing with the introduction of Rich Cards supporting embedded video streaming, so users no longer need to manually download video files. Businesses are also given greater control to determine whether a link opens directly in the messaging app or is redirected to a dedicated app for more secure transactions. The addition of new features in Universal Profile 4.0 is unlikely to be felt in the near term. For example, RCS Universal Profile 3.0 was announced in March 2025 with native end-to-end encryption support, but Apple and Google are still testing that support now. However, with the arrival of the 4.0 standard, cross-platform communication will clearly become smoother than before. This step is an effort to narrow the feature gap between Android and iOS users, while strengthening security through end-to-end encryption that is currently being refined.