10 Must-Read Tech Stories of the Week

Published On Tue Jul 02 2024

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Apple finally supports RCS in iOS 18 update

This week, Apple finally added support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) to Messages as part of the second developer beta of iOS 18. Until now, iPhone users could only send SMS or MMS messages from the Messages app to people who didn’t have an Apple device. Now you can share high-quality images and get read receipts and typing indicators while messaging with Android users — but text bubbles are still green.

OpenAI Delays Release of Voice Mode

OpenAI is delaying the release of its new Voice Mode. The company had planned to start rolling out advanced Voice Mode in alpha to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users in late June but said that lingering issues forced it to postpone the launch to sometime in July. Depending on internal safety and reliability checks, Advanced Voice Mode might not launch for all ChatGPT Plus customers until the fall, the company says.

FCC Proposes Easier Phone Unlocking

The FCC proposed an easier way for consumers to unlock their phones from their carriers, suggesting that all devices must be unlockable just 60 days after purchase. The rule would potentially allow phones to work with different mobile networks after that time period, but it may run afoul of today’s phone and wireless markets.