iOS 27 beta 2 is now available for developer testing, and the update brings useful RCS improvements to the Messages app. The latest beta makes conversations between iPhone and Android users feel more natural by adding support for proper reactions and in-line replies.
The biggest change is proper reaction support for RCS messages. Earlier, when an iPhone user reacted to an image or message sent through RCS, the Android user often saw a separate text like “loved an image.” With iOS 27 beta 2, those reactions now appear correctly on the Android user’s side, which makes the conversation cleaner and easier to follow.
RCS replies now work better in Messages
iOS 27 beta 2 also adds in-line replies for RCS conversations. This means users can reply directly to a specific RCS message inside a chat, similar to how replies already work in iMessage.
These changes appear to be part of the RCS 2.7 standard, which also includes support for features like editing and unsending messages. Apple has not confirmed every RCS 2.7 feature for iOS 27 yet, but this beta shows that the company is improving cross-platform messaging in a clear way.
With these upgrades and the recent arrival of end-to-end encryption for RCS, iOS 27 brings the Messages app closer to a smoother iPhone and Android texting experience.
