Following pressure from Google and Samsung to enhance cross-platform messaging, Apple has finally agreed to implement the RCS messaging standard for iPhones through a software update that will launch next year.

This will allow users of iPhones and Android phones to text each other with a greater variety of features.

While talking to Bloomberg, an Apple representative said the company believes that RCS “will offer a better interoperability experience” with Android devices than the MMS and SMS messaging standards that the iPhone presently supports,

The spokesperson claimed that SMS and MMS would still be available as a backup and that RCS “will work alongside iMessage,” the existing messaging app used by iPhone users. The spokesperson claimed that iMessage is more secure than RCS.

RCS stands for Rich Communication Services, and was chosen in 2008 by a mobile network trade group called the GSM Association as a potential replacement for the old SMS texting system, which stands for Short Message Service.

RCS operates over the internet, meaning it can support features such as sending GIFs, high-resolution photos and videos, group messaging, and end-to-end encryption, whereas SMS operates over a carrier’s bandwidth and can’t support certain features.

Apple’s RCS integration will also allow users to share their location with others in text threads, the company reportedly said.

After the announcement, a Google spokesperson told Forbes the company is “happy to see Apple take their first step today by coming on board to embrace RCS,” and its work with GSMA to “make messaging more equitable and secure.