iOS 27 Finally Fixes Replying to Android Texts

[MacRumors]

When iOS 27 arrives next month, you'll be able to reply to a specific green chat bubble (aka an Android message) in a Messages conversation on your iPhone.

All you need to do is press and hold the message, tap Reply, then type your response. It will be received by the recipient as a real threaded reply (i.e. an inline reply), tying it directly to the message in question. It's the same with reactions – react to a shared photo and your contact will see the intended emoji instead of a message saying that you "liked an image."

It's all thanks to Apple's embrace of RCS Universal Profile 3.0, the GSMA standard it helped publish and has been adopting in stages. Universal Profile 2.4 first appeared in iOS 18 in September 2024, but it didn't support inline replies. Come this September, on supporting iPhones, that will finally change.

Bear in mind that the feature also depends on carrier support at both ends. Even before you update to iOS 27, you can see if your device is ready for the change: simply go to Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Messages ➝ RCS Messaging, and check that the RCS Messaging toggle is enabled. If the setting isn't displayed in said menu, your carrier has yet to enable the feature.

Article Link: iOS 27 Finally Fixes Replying to Android Texts

 

[HouseLannister]

Now we just need Edit and Unsend.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The best QoL upgrade for me has been moving group chats that involve Android off of iMessage totally.

Some are in Signal, one is in WhatsApp. It's been dependent upon who is involved and what they use.

I honestly really enjoy having a lot of that out of the Messages app, as I don't get fine grained enough control over badges and notifications. I'd really like that stuff to be better per message thread.

For instance -- I'd like to be able to FULLY mute a thread, including muting any App badges.

 

[germanbeer007]

There's nothing to fix if you've blocked them. RCS is an incredibly stupid protocol.

Just download Telegram.

 

[lazyrighteye]

Now we just need Edit and Unsend.

I assumed this functionality was included when RCS compliance landed. When it didn't, I had to go check that I had RCS enabled. Looking forward to these [more] useful features.

 

[Frosties]

Doesn’t the carrier also need to support and implement this for it to work, ah it is stated.

 

[cdsapplefan]

Now we just need Edit and Unsend.

And we need to be able to send videos and pictures without blurring too. Send media without Blur.

 

[Raj Char]

When iOS 27 arrives next month, you'll be able to reply to a specific green chat bubble (aka an Android message) in a Messages conversation on your iPhone.

All you need to do is press and hold the message, tap Reply, then type your response. It will be received by the recipient as a real threaded reply (i.e. an inline reply), tying it directly to the message in question. It's the same with reactions – react to a shared photo and your contact will see the intended emoji instead of a message saying that you "liked an image."

It's all thanks to Apple's embrace of RCS Universal Profile 3.0, the GSMA standard it helped publish and has been adopting in stages. Universal Profile 2.4 first appeared in iOS 18 in September 2024, but it didn't support inline replies. Come this September, on supporting iPhones, that will finally change.

Bear in mind that the feature also depends on carrier support at both ends. Even before you update to iOS 27, you can see if your device is ready for the change: simply go to Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Messages ➝ RCS Messaging, and check that the RCS Messaging toggle is enabled. If the setting isn't displayed in said menu, your carrier has yet to enable the feature.

Article Link: iOS 27 Finally Fixes Replying to Android Texts

It took 2 years to fix this issue or unblock what was blocked by IOS.

Now edit inline feature will take another 2 years to deliver.

 

[abcmax]

I hope that merging phone calls has also been fixed.

 

[S.B.G]

RCS is an incredibly stupid protocol.

How do you mean?

 

[Nekronos]

The only thing that matters to me is having E2EE functioning across platforms, the rest is noise until then.

 

[svish]

Great to see this. However since carrrier support is involved, it might take some time before it is available worldwide.

 

[Astuces iOS]

We need iMessage to be like discord !

 

[germanbeer007]

How do you mean?

tying user to a phone number is dumb. protocol should require a unique identifier that isn't a phone number to identify users. email would be the obvious choice.

 

[cyanite]

The best QoL upgrade for me has been moving group chats that involve Android off of iMessage totally.

You mean off of Messages. iMessage doesn’t support Android, but the Messages app supports iMessage, sms, mms, rcs.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Meh.

If someone doesn't have iPhone, plain text is enough.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

They should just make them blue since they’re finally functionally equivalent to iMessages.

 

[palemonkey]

The full screen reply UI in messages is terrible.

 

[s1m]

RCS not available in Australia and not likely to be - all I want is to be able to group chat with one of the family who has an Android device. Every time I get sucked into using WhatsApp the fake Amazon calls start happening.

 

[mrochester]

Still trying to solve a problem that has long been solved.

Can’t imagine how many developer hours have been wasted on this.

 

[dwaite]

They should just make them blue since they’re finally functionally equivalent to iMessages.

Blue = Apple infrastructure, protocol, and accounts
Green = Mobile carrier infrastructure, protocol, and accounts.

They'll likely never be functionally equivalent, as Apple can add features to iMessage at their whim, but need to wait on consensus by an international SDO to get a new feature into RCS

 

[therockyroad]

RCS not available in Australia and not likely to be - all I want is to be able to group chat with one of the family who has an Android device. Every time I get sucked into using WhatsApp the fake Amazon calls start happening.

I was wondering why mixed OS group phone chats weren’t working. Didn’t know it was a regional thing.

 

[flottenheimer]

Apples continued fight against giving us full iMessage and Android-messaging compatibility is a user-hostile insult to us all.
Very unsympathetic, driven by nothing but greed and power. Probably my least favorite aspect of Apple’s business practice.

 

[ChemGolf]

They should just make them blue since they’re finally functionally equivalent to iMessages.

They should give the color a new meaning:
blue = e2ee
green = not e2ee
which means, if a RCS chat is e2ee, it should turn blue!

 

[dwaite]

I was wondering why mixed OS group phone chats weren’t working. Didn’t know it was a regional thing.

Yes, RCS in Messages is Apple adding support for a cellular carrier messaging account.

1. If the carrier doesn't have RCS enabled for iPhone, you won't get RCS.
2. If they have features not supported in their RCS implementation, you won't have those features.
3. If they have limited the size of shared photos and videos, they will get sent shrunk/blurry.

Google was the one pushing RCS because they sell a server for it, and they integrated phone support for it. They also happened to have failed at well over a dozen prior chat attempts, and RCS was the one which stuck for them. But it wasn't until carriers said they wanted iPhones to support RCS that it went in - often externally influenced by the government - that iPhone support got implemented and started to get rolled out.

Sounds like in Australia, the big three aren't feeling pressure for universal RCS support.