Apple brings long-awaited reply feature to Android chats in iOS 27

Apple is reportedly pushing on to improve the messaging experience between iPhone and Android users with iOS 27. According to a report by Macworld, the latest developer beta has introduced the inline replies for green bubble chats, which run on the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol.

This means that the iPhone users will now be able to directly respond to the specific messages in conversation with Android users. This feature was earlier available only for iMessage users.

Closing the gap between iMessage and RCS

Until now, iPhone users could only react with emojis or Tapbacks in RCS chats, while Android apps supported inline replies for years. By adopting the latest RCS Universal Profile, Apple is bringing parity to cross-platform messaging.

The update also improves support for reactions, making green bubble conversations feel closer to the iMessage experience, even if the bubbles remain green.This new feature is presently available in the developer beta 2 of iOS 27 and early testers also reported some bugs. Apple is expected to release the public beta for iOS 17 next month and the full roll out of the latest version of the operating system is scheduled to release this fall with the iPhone 18 launch.

This marks another step in Apple’s gradual adoption of RCS, which began with iOS 18.

iOS 27 release date

As always, iOS 27 will debut with the new iPhones that are expected to launch later this year in September. But the company has released Beta 1 update of iOS 27. Those interested can download the beta version to try new iPhone features.

iOS 27 supported iPhones

List of Apple iPhones that support iOS 27 are:* iPhone 17* iPhone Air* iPhone 17 Pro* iPhone 17 Pro Max* iPhone 16e* iPhone 16 and 16 Plus* iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max* iPhone 15 and 15 Plus* iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max* iPhone 14 and 14 Plus* iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max* iPhone 13 and 13 mini* iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max* iPhone 12 and 12 mini* iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max* iPhone 11* iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max* iPhone SE (2nd gen and newer)