Messaging between Android and iPhone gets a huge update – what you need to know

Messaging between Android and iOS just got a little better. Apple has finally allowed these scammers to use best android phones send reactions to messages to iPhone users (via Edge). This means that iPhone users communicating with modest green bubbles above RCS will finally start seeing emoji reactions to relevant messages – as it should be.

The text messaging experience between Android and iPhone has never been particularly good – primarily due to Apple’s stubbornness in adopting the RCS standard. Images and videos were compressed more than a can of soda in the Mariana Trench, and smart features didn’t work properly—if at all.

That’s why adding RCS messaging to iPhone made such a big difference. It may not have been the overnight transition that some expected, but it paves the way for further improvements in cross-platform messaging. This includes ensuring that post reactions actually work, rather than just putting the emoji on its own line.

The Verge reports that the reaction is working on iOS 18.1 and various Android phones. Previously, RCS messages only responded correctly on the Android side, but something has changed somewhere. It’s unclear who was responsible or what they did, but it doesn’t really matter.

The more improvements that are made to RCS messaging between iPhone and Android, the better for everyone. Hopefully this means there will be even more improvements and enhancements in the near future. The Verge notes that since emoji reactions are part of RCS version 2.7, it should also be possible to edit sent messages. But it doesn’t seem to be active right now.

Needless to say, improvements are needed, especially encryption. Given that Apple’s historical justification for ignoring RCS was privacy concerns and the fact that it promised to make Android/iPhone messaging more secure, the continued lack of end-to-end encryption is quite strange.

Just don’t expect those green bubbles to go anywhere. They’re here to stay, no matter how much messaging between Android and iPhone improves.