iOS 27 Beta 2 Finally Lets You Reply in Android RCS Chats
iOS 27 beta 2 adds inline replies and photo reactions to RCS chats with Android, closing a long gap before the public beta lands in July.
Key Takeaways
- iOS 27 beta 2 adds inline replies and proper emoji photo reactions to RCS chats with Android users.
- Both participants need RCS-capable phones and carriers for reply threading to work reliably.
- A public beta is expected in July, with an official iOS 27 launch in September.
Apple just made texting Android users feel a lot less broken. With iOS 27 beta 2, seeded to developers on Monday (June 22), iPhone owners can now reply to a specific message inside RCS conversations with Android contacts.
According to a report from MacRumors, you long press a message in an RCS chat to bring up a reply option, and it threads the same way iMessage already does. The change targets one of the most-felt gaps in cross-platform messaging.
The fix is small in code but large in daily use. Replying to one message in a busy thread has long worked iPhone-to-iPhone, yet fell apart the moment an Android contact joined.
Photo reactions also got cleaned up. MacRumors reports that iOS 27 now places the actual emoji on an image or video, instead of the clumsy text descriptor like "loved an image" that iOS 26 displayed.
The other side of the conversation reflects the change too. 9to5Google reports that Google Messages shows these replies with the original message quoted above them, based on screenshots from a recent beta pairing of iOS 27 and the latest Google Messages build.
This continues a steady thaw between the two camps. According to MacRumors, Apple first added RCS in iOS 18, then layered on encryption for iPhone-to-Android messages in iOS 26.5, and is now filling in the interactive features users expected from the start.
There is a catch worth noting. 9to5Google points out that the RCS Universal Profile 2.7 spec enabled replies and reactions back in June 2024, and the standard has since moved to Profile 4.0, so Apple is catching up rather than breaking new ground.
It is also not a feature you can rely on universally yet. MacRumors notes that reply threading needs both people to have a phone and carrier that support RCS, so mixed results are likely in early testing.
The messaging upgrades sit alongside a wider beta 2 push. Engadget reports that the build leans heavily on Siri, including a "Write with Siri" prompt that replaces the older Writing Tools entry point on iPhone and iPad.
Engadget adds that the same features appear across iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, with beta 2 also improving iPhone Mirroring on the Mac and enabling firmware updates for AirPods Max 2.
For readers tracking the bigger picture, this RCS work is one slice of a release we have covered more broadly in our rundown of iOS 27 features worth caring about. On the Android side, the reaction story echoes recent screen reaction additions in the Android 17 beta.
Timing favors patient users. 9to5Google reports that iOS 27 is currently limited to developers, with a public beta expected in July and an official launch in September.
The early builds also look unusually steady. 9to5Google notes that these initial versions have proven more stable than typical first betas, which lowers the risk for anyone tempted to test the messaging changes sooner.
References:
- 9to5Google, iOS 27 will add inline replies & photo reactions to Android-iPhone RCS. Accessed on Jun 23, 2026
- MacRumors, iOS 27 Beta 2 Adds Inline Replies to iPhone-to-Android RCS Chats. Accessed on Jun 23, 2026
- Engadget, iOS 27 beta 2 is out now, here's what's new. Accessed on Jun 23, 2026
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The Mixstackrr Team is a group of writers and editors with more than 10 years of combined experience in SEO and consumer tech. We test devices, dig through settings, and turn everyday tech problems into clear, step-by-step guides anyone can follow.
