Android emoji reactions now appear as they should on iPhones

(Image credit: Android Central)

What you need to know

Android reactions now show up properly on iPhones, fixing a major messaging headache.
Previously, Android reactions would appear as separate messages, cluttering up chats—especially in group texts.
The update is part of RCS v2.7, but it’s unclear if Apple or Google made the change.

A new update has finally closed the gap in cross-platform messaging, as Android reactions are now showing up properly on iPhones.

Previously, when an Android user reacted to a message from an iOS device, it would show up as a separate message with the emoji and the original text, making conversations messy. This was a major pain point for group chats with both Android and iOS users. But now, that’s finally a thing of the past.

According to The Verge, emoji reactions now display correctly on both iOS and Android. In their test, they sent reactions between an iPhone running iOS 18.1 and an Android phone, and the reactions appeared correctly on both.

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RCS messaging reactions on an iPhone — (Image credit: The Verge)

It's still unclear whether Google or Apple is behind this fix. The feature comes with RCS v2.7, meaning Apple could have added support for the new RCS standard in iOS 18.1, or Google might’ve made changes behind the scenes to improve how iPhones handle emoji reactions from Android.

RCS made its global debut on iOS 18 in September, bringing a much-improved cross-platform texting experience for both Android and iPhone users. With features like typing indicators, high-res image sharing, and more, texting across platforms just got a lot better.

The upgrade to RCS on Apple devices is unexpected. For years, Google pushed Apple to support RCS, but Apple wasn’t budging. However, with pressure from the European Union and China, Apple had no choice but to finally make it happen.

While iPhones got RCS with iOS 18, here's the kicker—your carrier has to back it too. If they don’t, chats with Android users will just switch back to SMS. And even though iPhones are everywhere, many carriers outside the U.S. still don’t support RCS.

Nevertheless, this change definitely makes chatting with your Android-using friends more enjoyable and seamless. Messaging apps should just work and let you have a good time talking, no matter what phones you’ve got.

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.