Apple is preparing several enhancements for the Messages app with iOS 18 that should allow for a richer texting experience, according to two independent reports this week.
MacRumors states that Apple will add new text effects that can be applied to individual words rather than the entire message. Currently, users can add bubble and full-screen effects, but only to a whole text as it’s being sent. The publication claims that with iOS 18, iPhone users will be able to apply those effects to discrete words, while unselected words or phrases will be sent as normal with no effects within the same message.
In addition to the new text effects, Apple plans to add all-new Tapback reactions to iMessage, reports Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. The range of Tapback reactions has remained unchanged since Apple first introduced the feature with iOS 10, which allows users to quickly reply with predefined emoji-like responses. The exact nature of the new Tapbacks remains unknown at this stage, but it is something that users will surely welcome.
The Messages app is likely to be one of the biggest updates as part of iOS 18, with Apple planning bigger changes such as support for the RCS standard for richer texting with Android phones, an update the company confirmed last year. Generative AI will also play a big part in Messages, with features like missed text summarization, smarter reply suggestions, and custom emojis.
