UMVA has learned that Apple is rapidly closing the gap between iMessage and RCS conversations, bringing a slew of new features to users in green-bubble chats.
The tech giant has enabled a highly anticipated iMessage feature for RCS users with the second beta of iOS 27, released to developers on Monday. This update allows users to reply directly to specific messages, a functionality that has been available on iMessage conversations but not on RCS chats.
For years, users have complained about this limitation, especially as Android messaging apps have supported replies for years. The lack of this feature was a significant drawback for iPhone users communicating with Android users, who were stuck with a less responsive and less engaging messaging experience.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the limitation was due to Apple's initial implementation of an older RCS standard that lacked support for some messaging features available on other platforms. However, with iOS 27, Apple is finally giving users access to the latest RCS protocol, bridging the feature gap between iMessage and RCS conversations.
With the second iOS 27 developer beta, users can now long-press or swipe to reply to an RCS message and send an inline reply. This development brings green-bubble conversations closer to feature parity with iMessage, making it easier for iPhone users to communicate with Android users.
The update also aims to improve support for Tapbacks and other message reactions. Backend code discovered by UMVA suggests Apple has made additional changes to how reactions are handled in RCS chats, although those improvements have yet to be fully documented.
Earlier this year, Apple committed to adopting the latest RCS Universal Profile specification, which includes support for features such as end-to-end encryption, replies, and improved reactions. The addition of inline replies in iOS 27 beta 2 appears to be one of the first visible signs of that transition.
As Apple continues updating its RCS implementation, the experience of messaging Android users from an iPhone is becoming increasingly similar to an iMessage conversation. Although the bubbles are still green, the feature gap is rapidly closing, and users can expect a more seamless messaging experience.
Keep in mind that iOS 27 is still in beta and is available only to registered developers. A public beta will be released next month, while the official launch is set for this fall, so users will have to wait a bit longer to get their hands on these exciting new features.
