RCS is finally sorting out cross-platform reactions and replies for Android

[phillynews215]

• Standardized reaction support would let everyone see the same emoji — and even support custom uploads.
• Threaded replies promise to keep your messy group chats organized.
• A robust set of editing and deletion tools will give you new control over how and what you share.

Slowly but surely, it feels like Rich Communication Services (RCS) is finally starting to come into its own as the universal cross-platform messaging solution weve been craving for years. And access is only improving, like what were seeing with this new wave of iOS 18 beta 3 users, and new functional extensions occasionally arrive to add a little more polish to the experience. Thats just the sort of progress were seeing now, with the publication of the latest RCS specs that include support for threaded replies, message editing, and reactions across platforms.

RCS Universal Profile v2.7 and the RCS Advanced Communications Services and Client Specification v14.0 reflect the latest enhancements to the standard, shared on Reddit by /u/rocketwidget. Native support for reactions sounds particularly interesting, and would presumably resolve the sort of cobbled-together solution we have right now, where reaction emoji dont necessarily align 1:1 across platforms. With this change, all participants would be on the same page, seeing the same responses. Theres even support for custom reactions, where youd upload an image to the chat.




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