Telstra, Australia's largest carrier, appears to have told customers that RCS texting will come to iPhones with an iOS update in December.
The detail comes from a Telstra support document that the carrier has since deleted. It said RCS support would be available starting with an iOS update due that month. If the timeframe holds, Telstra customers would likely get RCS in the Messages app with iOS 27.3. That version number is an inference from the schedule, not something the document is known to have stated.
Neither Telstra nor Apple has publicly confirmed the December date. The Revision will update this story if either company responds to a request for comment.
RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is the upgraded successor to SMS and MMS. It brings read receipts, typing indicators and higher-quality photos and video to messages sent between phones that support it. Apple added RCS to iPhones with iOS 18, but it switches the feature on carrier by carrier, which is why a single Australian network can matter to a lot of users.
A deleted page is weak evidence. Carriers sometimes publish documentation before a rollout is final, and a page that disappears may mean the date moved, the wording was premature, or the page simply went up early. The deletion does not say which.
Apple maintains a list of supported carriers. Telstra's name appearing there would settle the question in a way an erased support page cannot.