Apple's iOS 27 software update is currently in beta ahead of a fall release, but there are already two Messages features working for green chat bubbles that were previously unavailable.
First, it's now possible to long press on a specific message from an Android user and get an option to reply to it. That contrasts with iOS 26, where inline replies are limited to blue bubbles sent over Apple's iMessage platform.
Second, iOS 27 now displays tapback or reaction emoji to images and videos properly. Trying the same thing in iOS 26 just displays a text description, such as [Eric loved an image], rather than showing the emoji itself.
The improvements rely on RCS (Rich Communication Services), an upgraded form of text messaging that adds features like high-quality photos and videos, typing indicators, read receipts, and better group chats when messaging between iPhones and Android devices.
Apple has been gradually adding support for RCS messages with successive iOS updates, and in iOS 27 Apple is implementing more of them. 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 currently limited to developers currently, but a public beta is arriving in July. The software will then see an official launch in September.
