Mobile predictions for 2025 Part 2: Devices 

Is smartphone innovation dead? Not remotely. Tim Green, a telco industry journalist – and a content writer on the TechComms team – explores two big changes coming to handsets in 2025. 

RCS messaging 

Is SMS version 2 finally here? 

Mobile messaging has moved on since SMS arrived in the 90s. Today, most consumers prefer rich alternatives such as WhatsApp, iMessage and WeChat. Yet, SMS is still here. Why? Because it’s ubiquitous; a text reaches anyone. This makes SMS extremely useful for simple business alerts.  

So why is there no SMS v2? In other words, a universal channel but with rich media, read receipts and group messaging? The truth is, mobile carriers tried, but they failed to agree on standards and execution. However, their latest attempt – Rich Communication Services (RCS) – might be taking off.  

RCS is already pre-installed on millions of Android phones. But it always faced one big barrier: Apple would not adopt it. That changed in 2024, when support was added to iOS 18. The result? A universal default messaging channel between iPhone and Android users. 

Businesses are excited. One analyst said 70 per cent of execs expect RCS to be one of their primary customer communication channels in the next five years. 

On-device AI 

AI assistants that live in your phone 

You might have seen the TV ads for on-device mobile AI tools. One features a worker writing an angry email, then asking his AI sidekick to make it kinder. Expect more of this in 2024. Why? Because handset firms are battling over which phone can be your best AI-powered co-pilot. 

They are building on-device AI tools as they think the ‘local’ approach beats apps that are connected to the cloud. It’s more energy-efficient and also protects privacy. So now Samsung’s Galaxy S24 range boasts AI features that let owners improve messages, modify photos, do live translation and more. 

It’s a new ‘arms race’, one in which handset makers offer virtual assistants that are ever more intelligent, personalised, and context-sensitive. Canalys projects that five per cent of smartphones will be AI-capable next year, rising to 45 per cent by 2027. 

Look out for Tim’s third blog in this series which will look at what’s in store over the next 12 months for mobile infrastructure.