With the second beta of iOS 27, Apple added support for replying to a specific message in an RCS conversation with an Android user.
You can now long press on a message to get to the option to reply, and it works the same way that it does with iMessage.
iOS 27 also displays tapback/reaction emoji to images and videos properly. In iOS 26, it would use a text descriptor, such as [x loved an image] instead of showing the emoji. In iOS 27, the emoji shows up on the image or video as it does in an iMessage conversation.
Apple added support for RCS in iOS 18, and has been improving it since then. iOS 26.5 added encryption for RCS messages sent between iPhone and Android users, and now more of the RCS features are being implemented.
For RCS reply threading to work properly, both the sender and the recipient need to have a smartphone and carrier that supports RCS.
iOS 27 is limited to developers currently, but it will be available to the public when Apple releases a public beta in July. The software will see an official launch in September.
Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking!
Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27.
During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14.
iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update.
Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device.
This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time.
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