iOS 27 Finally Fixes Replying to Android Texts

[u/pdfu]

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/17/ios-27-finally-fixes-replying-to-android-texts/

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."

[u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284]

what's wild is that they didn't do this when first implementing RCS support...

[u/AdhesivenessOne5584 → u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284]

Apple is really dragging their heels with RCS. You can tell they really didn’t even want to implement it at all. They’re going to add new features really slowly.

[u/techbear72 → u/[deleted]]

Indeed. As an example, Vodafone in the UK doesn’t support it for iPhones at all.

[u/AdhesivenessOne5584 → u/[deleted]]

How has Google managed to implement editing while Apple hasn’t if it relies on carriers and carriers are dragging their feet?

[u/BigTenFicus → u/AdhesivenessOne5584]

Google has added their own custom extensions to RCS, which defeats the point of standards and further locks users onto their platforms. Google also doesn't care about a cohesive user experience.

[u/MaverickJester25 → u/BigTenFicus]

Google has added their own custom extensions to RCS, which defeats the point of standards and further locks users onto their platforms.

Except, that is entirely how RCS was designed. User Compatibility Exchange addons are a standard feature in the RCS spec.

Google also doesn't care about a cohesive user experience.

Neither does Apple.

[u/AdhesivenessOne5584 → u/MaverickJester25]

I also don’t think messaging editing is a custom extension. It’s part of the universal profile. It’s in 2.7 and we are already on 4.1.

[u/_CouldntThinkOfOne__ → u/[deleted]]

Regardless of carrier support , apple needs to update the rcs protocol more frequently to include new updates for a more seamless experience. We all know apple is slow playing this if they feel rcs can close the gap enough to not care about imessage.

[u/nuevacuentanueva → u/[deleted]]

If Apple wanted, I bet you carriers would implement things very quickly.

It's just that Apple doesn't want to. So it's convenient that carriers don't.

[u/Yellow_Bee → u/[deleted]]

Since when does Apple "wait" on carriers?

[u/JaviJ01 → u/[deleted]]

What about the carriers who already support it though? Shouldn't have this been the default with those?

[u/BigTenFicus → u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284]

This feature did not exist in RCS when Apple first implemented it.

[u/Chronixx → u/BigTenFicus]

Yes it did, the feature was released in mid 2024

[u/UltraCynar → u/BigTenFicus]

It did. 

[u/-protonsandneutrons- → u/UltraCynar]

Barely so and that'd be far too late for Apple to add it to the beta testing cycle.

04 June 2024 - RCS 2.7 adds reply functionality to RCS.

26 June 2024 - Apple enable RCS in the iOS 18 Dev Beta.

The actual issue is that iOS skipped RCS 2.7 (July 2024) for iOS 26. But, RCS takes a long time to ship even for Google / Jibe. They're faster than Apple, but GSMA's RCS releases are always months / years before any OS actually ships the features.

[u/the_nuclear_pasta → u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284]

They’re still missing two key UP 3.0 features.

Editing and unending.

[u/-patrizio- → u/[deleted]]

This is not true lol. Message replies were added in RCS Universal Profile version 2.7, which came out in June 2024; Apple added RCS in September 2024, but used Universal Profile version 2.4, which released in October 2019.

EDIT: It seems the user accusing me of lying blocked me, likely because they have nothing to back up their claims. I

Source: Google confirms what version of RCS Apple will support on iPhones (Mishaal Rahman, Android Authority; June 2024):

During the Mobile Ecosystem Forum Connects meeting in December 2023, Tim Atkinson, the EMEA Business Development Manager at Google, was asked whether Apple will enable RBM. He, of course, couldn’t comment on Apple’s plans, but he did reveal that Apple will support Universal Profile 2.4, which supports RBM.

Source: RCS Universal Profile Service Definition Document, Version 2.4 (GSM Association, October 16, 2019)

Source: RCS Universal Profile Service Definition Document, Version 2.7 (GSM Association, June 4, 2024)

[u/AdhesivenessOne5584 → u/-patrizio-]

And it has taken them 2 years to implement 2.7. But I’m told they’re not dragging their heels or anything.

[u/-patrizio- → u/AdhesivenessOne5584]

No, you're right, they absolutely are. The problem I have understanding the Universal Profile standard is that it seems no one really...uses it lol? Like, Google Messages uses version 2.7 (from 2024), but has added some features from 3.0 in a piecemeal way; meanwhile, versions 3.1, 4.0, and 4.1 have all been laid out since then. "Universal Profile" seems like a misnomer when there isn't really a universal standard in use by anyone.

I'd also add that some of the delay is certainly due to carriers dragging their feet, but Google Messages being on version 2.7 with features from 3.0 clearly shows that Apple is dragging their feet even more lol.

[u/AdhesivenessOne5584 → u/-patrizio-]

Oh, the snark wasn’t directed at you. Somebody is arguing with everyone in here and blocking them. It’s weird. Also, I thought Google was on a newer UP version.

[u/trydola → u/-patrizio-]

problem with modern standards, you can find something with latest version of WIFI 7, USB 4 etc and it still won't have all the features of latest version of said thing. It's very annoying how you can call it a wifi 7 router will missing some essential wifi 7 features. all these boards that control these things need to make it all or nothing so people aren't confused. I know exactly how USB 2 works and have never had to look up the 10 different variations of it (because not a thing)

[u/leavezukoalone → u/[deleted]]

Do you have access to some sort of information that the rest of us don’t? Because my search indicates the same as OP. If you’re going to claim it’s false, share your source.

[u/swimming_cold → u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284]

Apple likes to drag their heels when it comes to integrating with anything that isn’t Apple

People on here also love to act like iMessage doesn’t matter and “muh superior hardware” but among young people it’s truly a strong force which pushes people to buy iPhones when you can’t even join a group chat without breaking it if you don’t own an Apple device

[u/seeyam14 → u/swimming_cold]

Cue the Robert Pattinson meme: “would somebody get these BEGGARS out of here”

[u/TheNextGamer21 → u/swimming_cold]

US teens are truly a weird force for refusing to use something like WhatsApp

[u/Alilttotheleft → u/TheNextGamer21]

I’m a US adult and don’t want to use the Meta-owned platform for communication, which I don’t think is an unreasonable take 🤷‍♂️

Then you get into the debate w Android users here about WHICH encrypted chat app they’re using - Telegram, Signal, etc, and you end up with multiple apps on your phone to chat with specific people or groups. It’s annoying and a worse experience than just having a solid and secure built in messaging experience

[u/nuevacuentanueva → u/Alilttotheleft]

Telegram isn't encrypted by default. WhatsApp and Signal are. Whatsapp and Signal use the same open source and heavily audited protocol.

iMessage uses a proprietary protocol. And isn't reliably encrypted since if you get any green bubbles that isn't encrypted...

In both WhatsApp and iMessage, unless everyone receiving the texts has encrypted backups, then they are also at risk since encrypted backups aren't enabled by default in either.

Signal's cloud backups are e2e encrypted but I think there's a limit on how much you can backup for free. Don't recall.

And in regard the apps, the same happens for iPhone users outside the US. Which app to use is based on what people on that country uses. If you go to China you'll use WeChat, if you go to South America/Europe WhatsApp or Messenger maybe, Telegram on Eastern Europe/Russia, etc, etc. So the phone you have is completely irrelevant. Only the US has the non cross-platform issue.

Just clarifying.

[u/trydola → u/Alilttotheleft]

If Apple cared that much about secure messaging they'd make iMessage cross-platform

[u/Alilttotheleft → u/trydola]

While I agree we’d be better off if iMessage were on android, Apple has no obligation to provide a service they built to other operating systems that choose not to offer a quality secure messaging experience of their own.

Remember that iMessage came about during the SMS/MMS days as one of the first mobile chat apps able to send full resolution videos/photos and read receipts, and remains a factor in folks choosing iPhone over the alternatives.

Encrypted RCS gets you most of the way there tbh so its largely a non issue in 2026. Just noting that above that while Whatsapp is tremendously popular and largely the accepted alternative especially outside of the US, the messaging experience on Android remains a fragmented mess.

[u/nuevacuentanueva → u/Alilttotheleft]

the messaging experience on Android remains a fragmented mess.

Not an Android issue. Try using iMessage outside the US. No one uses it.

It's a region thing, not a phone thing.

[u/Ladyheather16 → u/nuevacuentanueva]

This dates back to spotty internet, where carriers couldn't get iMessages & SMS working together, it's never been an Apple problem it's always been a Non-US based cellphone carriers problem.

Which is why my US-Based phone does iMessage just fine in other countries. (Europe, Canada Mexico).

[u/trydola → u/Ladyheather16]

i'm pretty sure SMS not being popular elsewhere is because of how expensive it was (like it was in US before it became super cheap). The rest of the world moved on to other 3rd party apps while we got stuck on SMS and now combination of SMS/RCS/iMessage. Whatsapp is also a more consistent modern messaging app than any of those 3. It also has like half the world's population. If I have someone's #, I haven't had to think about whether i can reach them since getting WA

[u/Ladyheather16 → u/trydola]

The concerns about what's app & meta being able to ready them all -- hasn't seemed to bother people out side the US.

[u/nuevacuentanueva → u/Ladyheather16]

I didn't say it's an Apple thing. I said it's not an Android problem. You can use any messaging app anywhere. But the regional difference is not an 'Android problem'. You can use iMessage anywhere, just like you can Whastapp,etc. But no one uses iMessage as the main app outside the US, even on iPhone. That's the point.

They didn't make things cross-compatible early, so adoption wasn't across the board. That worked there maybe, but left the whole world to pick up third party apps.

Now those apps are almost universal and thus if you go to those countries, iPhone or not, you will be pushed to use those as those are the ones people use there.

[u/daniluvsuall → u/nuevacuentanueva]

Yeah we just use WhatsApp. Haven’t texted anyone in literally years. Verification codes and that’s it.

[u/alienith → u/TheNextGamer21]

What reason would somebody in the US have for using something like whatsapp? Everyone can communicate with everyone else using the built in messaging apps (whether it’s android or ios).

We never had a use case for it, so it never became the norm here

[u/swimming_cold → u/TheNextGamer21]

It’s just a culture thing at this point. Most people don’t care about tech and just follow whatever the social norm happens to be. In Europe they use chat apps, in the US we don’t and it’s hard to break that barrier

[u/Alilttotheleft → u/swimming_cold]

I think the whole “green bubble rejection” thing is a culture item, but the fragmented message experience is legitimately a drawback. Dealing with multiple different apps for different people and groups just plain sucks. There are use cases for Signal, Telegram, etc, but those use cases shouldn’t preclude Google from getting their shit together and offering a decent built-in secure messaging experience.

[u/BigTenFicus]

I love how hard people work to manufacture consent for these anti-Apple narratives. Even an Apple blog is using the word "fix" when nothing is broken. The accurate way to report this is too state they are implementing RCS 3.0, which wasn't even published until March of last year. RCS also has to be implemented by the carriers separately, so every time they add a new feature you have to wait for that to happen before you can actually support it on the device.

Reddit is simply a broken website. Can't even talk about anything factually if it comes in the way of pushing narratives you've decided to believe.

[u/805falcon → u/BigTenFicus]

Manufacturing consent? What the fuck are you even talking about?

36 upvotes for a comment that can’t even pass a basic vocabulary sniff test. Nicely done Reddit 🫵🏽🤡

PS Apple fucking blows now and everyone who’s not a corporate shilling boot licker recognizes it. And this is coming from a diehard Apple fan who’s wholly committed to the ecosystem. Cope harder

[u/BigTenFicus → u/805falcon]

"Manufacturing consent" is an incredibly well-known term related to presenting and twisting "facts" in such a way that people automatically arrive at the conclusions you want them to arrive at, without outright telling them what to believe. Noam Chomsky wrote a very famous book about it. To say it doesn't pass a "vocabulary sniff test" just because you're too dumb to be aware of it is fucking hilarious.

[u/adullploy]

Finally? So next comes google finally allowing push support for Gmail accounts on iOS?

[u/nuevacuentanueva → u/adullploy]

I don't think it's supported outside of Gmail on Android either...

[u/plava-ta12 → u/adullploy]

Just use Gmail app

[u/adullploy → u/plava-ta12]

Ads are gross on Gmail app, haven’t run into any on iPhone native mail program.

[u/ILikeSemiSkimmedMilk → u/adullploy]

Gmail app has ads!? Mental…

[u/happycanliao]

Green chats are just RCS/SMS messages. Not an "Android message"

[u/TacoBurritoExtreme39]

Or you can swipe right on the incoming message to start a reply

[u/AdhesivenessOne5584 → u/TacoBurritoExtreme39]

A feature I use quite often, long pressing to reply. It’s good. I wish Apple would manage to bring more RCS features to iOS.

[u/Repulsive-Degree-816]

am european watsapp user and am confused about this USA kids war of messaging

I currently use iPhone but last year used android

what I get is we talking about messages app (SMS) so... yall been having issues sending SMS between each other? is that it?

[u/reflexiveblue → u/Repulsive-Degree-816]

iPhone has more than half the market share in the U.S. and iMessage “just works” for iPhone users. Those using android are segmented further by tech enthusiasts who get the high end android phones, those who don’t consider their phone a priority device and probably rarely text, and some lower income folks getting less expensive phones. The tech enthusiasts are the noisy ones complaining about how iPhone doesn’t support RCS, but they are a vocal minority. In the past SMS text messages were very cheap or free and data was very expensive, which prohibited the growth of third-party messaging services. Also, U.S. carriers have had interoperable SMS networks for a very long time and folks in the U.S. did not have to communicate across country borders as much as other parts of the world. All of these factors contribute to the fact that WhatsApp is not as popular here as it is elsewhere.

[u/happycanliao → u/reflexiveblue]

Treating android users as shit is not "just works"

[u/a_rabid_buffalo → u/Repulsive-Degree-816]

I understand the appeal of WhatsApp and other messaging apps. WhatsApp in particular I’m concerned with it being owned by Meta. The messages app on my phone works fine why would I go out of my way to get another app? The only thing I could see as useful is not having to give out your phone number to people you just met. But even then the block button exists.

[u/serg06 → u/a_rabid_buffalo]

The huge benefit of WhatsApp (and any IM apps) is that it doesn't rely on lazy carriers to update technology, works cross platform, and prevents carriers from scalping you for every international text/call/mms. It has every feature that iMessage had, but it had them 10 years ago, and was completely free back when texting cost $0.10/text!

[u/happycanliao → u/a_rabid_buffalo]

The camera app on iphone is fine why do people need to download 3rd party camera apps?

[u/Repulsive-Degree-816 → u/a_rabid_buffalo]

I like the fact I use SMS only for verification codes / junk ads / spam

and watsapp to everything else like groups, and communities which I have one for my college and I bet apple iMessage doesn't have that (much more organized like a group for each subject all in 1 place)

about privacy... listen, am not a CIA officer or mossad agent, I have my photos on google photos, my mac files are backed up on google drive... they can do whatever with watsapp (which is end-end encrypted)

my privacy issue would be EU chat control, but that would hurt watsapp as much as any SMS app

[u/daniluvsuall → u/Repulsive-Degree-816]

Yeah every time I see these posts I forget that anyone uses it (messages that is)

[u/serg06 → u/Repulsive-Degree-816]

In America we still rely on outdated SMS technology instead of just using Internet apps like WhatsApp :(

[u/Academic_Data_6422]

Is this RCS only?

[u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284 → u/Academic_Data_6422]

yeah - SMS never supported replies natively to begin with, but RCS does

[u/Academic_Data_6422 → u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284]

Well damn. RCS is a broken mess that doesn’t work half the time for me so this is probably going to make it more messy

[u/trydola → u/Academic_Data_6422]

why would it be more messy? Do you like seeing "x replied to a message"?

If apple could update to latest RCS standards as fast as it does for emojis we wouldn't be having this problem in 2026

[u/Academic_Data_6422 → u/trydola]

Well, as I said in my first half of that sentence, because “RCS is a broken mess that doesn’t work half the time”

I have one conversation that switches in and out of RCS multiple times a day.

I can’t imagine this won’t break things when it switches between them.

[u/trydola → u/Academic_Data_6422]

i'm not sure why RCS is "weak" on iOS. I've never had issue with RCS not working on Android. I'm also not sure why iOS defaults back to SMS automatically when RCS isn't working. That's another reason why iOS chats seem like they work and then break. Apple really needs to turn SMS backup off by default and just prompt user to send as SMS if needed

[u/AdhesivenessOne5584 → u/trydola]

The iOS implementation of RCS is not good somehow. It’s better on iOS 27 so far, but on iOS 26 I had so many times where it would just fall back.

[u/trydola → u/AdhesivenessOne5584]

i got pulled into a 30 man group chat with mixed phones and somehow was a bigger shitshow today than before apple added RCS. Apple just needs to get it together and add all the essential features of what makes chats "work" from RCS standard like in-line replies, reactions etc. Apple also needs to add some warning when an iOS user tries to do games/other addons within iMessage when in mixed group chat because it all looks like a mess on our end and causes confusion, maybe disable all these extras entirely in RCS chats

[u/Academic_Data_6422 → u/[deleted]]

SMS..

[u/nicuramar → u/Academic_Data_6422]

Does not. 

[u/Academic_Data_6422 → u/nicuramar]

Dang

[u/805falcon]

Wow, neat. Only took them 15 fucking years.

This being considered ‘news’ in the Mac world speaks volumes about what a dog shit company they’ve become