Apple has taken an important step to improve messaging compatibility with Android users and started to properly display Android users’ message reactions on iOS devices. Now, when an Android user reacts to an iPhone user’s RCS message, the selected emoji appears harmoniously within the message bubble. In this way, it does not appear as text on a separate line as before, and the user experience offers a more natural flow.
The accuracy of this change was confirmed by The Verge in tests conducted on iPhones with iOS 18.1 and different Android devices. Trials revealed that both devices now show message responses as they should. However, there is no clear information yet about exactly when this change was implemented or which party, Apple or Google, made arrangements for this update.
By expanding RCS support last September, Apple aimed to enable iOS users to have a better messaging experience with Android users. However, when this extended support was first introduced, message reactions sent by Android were not displayed correctly on iPhone devices. This created a lack of cross-platform messaging and negatively affected the user experience. Now, emoji reactions displayed integrated into the message bubble show that this problem has been resolved.
Apple’s process for adopting RCS standards
For many years, Apple resisted calls from Google to adopt the RCS messaging standard. However, as a result of pressure from the European Union and China, Apple started to offer basic support for RCS with iOS 18. This support in Apple’s Messages application complies with the basic RCS standard known as RCS Universal Profile. Support for emoji reactions is among the features that come with RCS 2.7. This version also includes the ability to edit a sent message, but in tests it has been observed that this feature does not yet work on iOS devices.
It is noteworthy that Apple introduced this change with a silent update. Although the company has increased cross-platform compatibility, it is committed to preserving the special functions of the iMessage service it offers exclusively to its users. While iMessage remains unique in the Apple ecosystem, especially with its blue bubble feature; Apple insists on not offering the features it offers in this service to Android users.
These steps taken to increase compatibility in cross-platform communication improve the overall user experience. Apple’s ability to accurately display Android message reactions on iOS makes the messaging experience of users on different devices fluent and aesthetic. While this increase in compatibility allows users to communicate with each other more conveniently and seamlessly, it remains to be seen whether Apple will make new improvements regarding RCS in the future.