Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 in one week from now, and the update is rumored to include many new features for the Messages app on the iPhone.
iOS 18 is set to be unveiled during the WWDC keynote on June 10, and the first beta should be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately after the presentation. The first public beta of iOS 18 will likely follow in July, and the update should be widely released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September.
Below, we recap what to expect from the Messages app on iOS 18.
RCS Support
Last year, Apple announced that it would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app starting "later" in 2024, so it will likely be an iOS 18 feature based on that timeframe.
RCS support should result in the following improvements to the default messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices:
- Higher-resolution photos and videos
- Audio messages
- Typing indicators
- Read receipts
- Wi-Fi messaging
- Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
These features are already available for iMessage conversations with blue bubbles, and RCS will extend the capabilities to green bubbles over both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. It is expected that SMS will remain available as a fallback option.
Per-Word Effects
Apple plans to add a per-word text effects option to the Messages app on iOS 18, multiple sources familiar with the matter told MacRumors.
While it is already possible to send iMessages with entire-bubble or full-screen effects, such as invisible ink or confetti, the text effects would allow you to animate individual words within a message. Our hope is that Apple will also add bold, italics, and underline formatting options, but we have not confirmed that possibility.
Suggested Replies
iOS 18 will add AI-generated suggested replies to the Messages app, according to Bloomberg and AppleInsider. This feature would analyze recent messages in a conversation and provide a few suggested replies that users could tap on to send.
Custom Emoji
Another rumored AI-powered feature is the option to send custom emoji that are automatically generated based on the context of recent messages.
Message Recaps
iOS 18 is rumored to provide AI-generated recaps of information from several apps, including recent messages received in the Messages app.
New Tapback Icons
Tapback icons (the heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, "haha," exclamation marks, and question mark that can be added to messages) may be redesigned on iOS 18, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in his latest Power On newsletter.
