Apple Has Finally Fixed Reactions in RCS Messages

Apple wasn't too excited to do so, but it finally added RCS messages on iOS 18, paving the way for SMS to finally be a thing of the past. Now, one of the remaining compatibility issues is being ironed out.

Apple has quietly improved its handling of message reactions from Android users in its latest iOS update. Previously, reactions from Android devices would appear as a separate line of text in the Messages app, disrupting the flow of conversation. This was the exact same handling that Apple had for reactions to SMS messages pre-RCS, and seeing how RCS messages are still just green bubbles, it was probably just a part of a lazy implementation. With iOS 18.1, these reactions are correctly displayed inline with the message bubble (as seen below), just as they would between two iPhones.

This change is a welcome improvement for folks who communicate across platforms. However, it should still be noted that Apple is still lagging a lot behind Android as far as its RCS implementation goes. For instance, RCS version 2.7 includes the ability to edit sent messages, a functionality that remains absent in iOS.

Hopefully, these are things that will be addressed in future updates, just like this small update to reactions. Apple was pressured a lot into adding RCS and initially chose to stick with iMessage as its sole "current-gen" IM service. When it did add RCS, it was announced as a bit of an afterthought, and even today, RCS messages are still green bubbles and iMessage still gets exclusive features not available to either RCS or SMS, so the company is probably not too enthusiastic about giving a lot of attention to this. Still, it's always good to see slow but steady changes. We're slowly getting there.

Source: The Verge