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Apple is showing some love to Android users by finally displaying their message reactions correctly. Now, when an Android user reacts to an RCS message from an iOS user, the selected emoji will appear in line with the message bubble on iOS — instead of archaically appearing as a separate line like this: “💀 to ‘that wasn’t supposed to happen.’”

The Verge sent test messages and emoji reactions between iPhones running iOS 18.1 and different Android phones, confirming both devices now display reactions as intended. It’s unclear when this change happened or whose side — Google or Apple — had to make adjustments to get it working.

When RCS first launched widely on iOS in September, message reactions from Android users still weren’t being displayed correctly on the iPhone, even though they worked the other way around. We reached out to both companies for comment but did not hear back before publication.

Us casually discovering that message reactions work correctly now. Screenshot: The Verge

Apple’s quiet improvement to RCS messages comes as a surprise. Apple, for years, ignored Google’s campaign to get the company to adopt the standard, ultimately complying only after a mix of pressure in both China and the EU. Basic support for RCS was included in iOS 18.

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Original Author: Umar Shakir | Source: The Verge