One of the big surprises this year was Apple’s embrace of RCS messaging for iMessage. Now, it looks like it’s working right. Oh, finally.

Is this a sign that the dreaded green/blue bubble battle is finally ending? Apple is finally allowing Android users to send message reactions.

Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device If you've got an older iPhone and are prone to FOMO — that's the fear of missing out for us olds — the arrival of Apple Intelligence via updates to iOS 18 must feel like a trying moment.

With the launch of iOS 18, Apple added support for RCS, or Rich Communication Services. RCS replaces SMS/MMS as the default messaging standard

Emoji reactions now display correctly between Android and iPhone users. Emoji reactions sent from Android users no longer show up as a separate text. Apple improved cross-platform texting with RCS support in iOS 18.