RCS update will add native video call support, text formatting – eventually

GSMA announced RCS Universal Profile 4.0 and outlined three major changes.

Universal Profile 4.0 adds native video-call support via Message-Initiated Video Calls (MIVC), allowing 1-to-1 or group messages to be escalated to video calls.

MIVC lets group members join after a call has started and synchronizes MIVC logs within the chat timeline.

The update also brings richer text formatting (bold, italics, strikethrough), device identification of supported media formats, and business-chat support for embedded streaming video plus control over how links open.

Separately, RCS Universal Profile 3.0, announced in March 2025, introduced native end-to-end encryption, which Apple and Google are testing.