Tech Desk 
Jun 06, 2024
Apple is set to unveil its newest offering, iOS 18, during this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), due to take place next week.
Upon its release on June 10, members of Apple’s Developer Programme will receive priority access. This will be followed by a public beta release in July, leading to the final launch in September.
Down below are all the upgrades anticipated for the messages app.
iOS 18 features for iMessages
RCS support
Last year, Apple announced that it’ll be supporting the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich communication services) later in 2024. Given that announcement, this year's iOS upgrade is more likely to include this feature.
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The following is how the default messaging experience can change,
- Higher-resolution photos and videos
- Audio messages
- Typing indicators
- Read receipts
- Wi-Fi messaging
- Improved group chats, including interaction with Android users.
While these features are already available for blue bubbles, the update is expected to extend these to green bubbles, over Wi-Fi and cellular networks.
Per-word effects
Apple already allows users to animate their texts in the messages app (invisible ink, confetti etc). Now, users would be able to animate specific words.
Suggested replies
The new update will include an AI-powered suggestions feature in the messages app. When conversing, the AI will produce suggested responses based on previous conversations the user’s had.
Custom emojis
As part of its AI integration campaign, the messages app will now recommend custom emojis based on the context of the user’s conversation.
Message recaps
IOS 18 is expected to provide AI-generated recaps of all apps, including recent messages in the messages app.
New tapback icons
Tapback icons (heart, exclamation, question marks, thumbs up/thumbs down) may be redesigned on iOS 18, as per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
