iMessage Could Get New Effects and Even Rich Text in iOS 18
Credit: Alexander Shatov
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With all the hype surrounding potential new AI features in iOS 18, it’s easy to forget that Apple likely has much more in store for its next major software update than just some much-needed Siri improvements.
We’ve heard about a few of these, but many have gotten lost in the excitement surrounding generative AI features like smart voice transcription and image editing.
Earlier this month, Apple gave us a sneak peek at some exciting accessibility features, some of which could be very useful even for those who don’t have traditional accessibility requirements. In March, we also heard about possible improvements to Apple Maps, such as custom routing and the expansion of Apple Watch topographic maps to the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro.
We haven’t heard much about iMessage, though — at least not beyond how it might benefit from systemwide improvements such as using generative AI to respond to messages. Of course, Apple has also promised RCS support will come later this year, but that’s old news by now.
Since iMessage is one of the core services that sets the iPhone apart from its Android cousins, we have to assume that Apple has more in store for its messaging app. Now, an exclusive report from MacRumors has shed some light on what we can expect.
According to Joe Rossignol, Apple plans to make the iMessage experience even richer with new text effects that could be narrowed down to individual words.
While it is already possible to send iMessages with bubble effects or full-screen effects, such as invisible ink or confetti, the text effects would allow you to add animations to individual words within a message. Joe Rossignol, MacRumors
It’s unclear exactly what those effects would be, but the ability to dress up specific parts of a message suggests we might also see rich-text support for the first time. After all, it would seem odd to be able to animate words with effects without being able to do more basic things like add bold or italics — especially since those formatting features are already standard in most other iPhone apps like Mail and Notes.
Rossignol adds that the text effects may not be limited to iMessage. Since RCS support is coming to iOS 18, the text effects could also potentially “work with green bubbles,” he says.
That might work for basic things like bold and italics, but it would be trickier with some of the animations and effects we’re already used to in iMessage, as the RCS Universal Profile spec would have to allow for this. Companies like Google have created proprietary extensions to RCS to offer features like advanced formatting and end-to-end encryption on their own platforms, but so far, Apple has only committed to supporting the baseline RCS specification.
Besides, considering how long Apple resisted bringing RCS to the iPhone, it’s likely adopting the new standard somewhat grudgingly. There’s little doubt that Apple still wants iPhone users to have certain perks when communicating in blue with other iPhone users and won’t go too far out of its way to support anything that’s not part of the core requirements to make RCS work.
RCS will still offer significant advantages over today’s SMS/MMS green bubbles, but that’s only because that text messaging technology is so antiquated. RCS brings many things we now consider table stakes in modern messaging systems, such as read receipts, typing indicators, proper group chats, and support for audio messages and full-resolution photos and videos.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
