Apple’s iOS 16 fixes annoying ‘green bubble’ SMS group reaction messages

Anyone who’s been in a group text message chat with participants spread across iOS and Android probably knows about annoying feedback texts coming from iPhone users, usually formatted as: Person A liked/disliked Person B’s message. But now, that Google has implemented a workaround inside its Android texting app, Apple is doing something about it with iOS 16. After the update, it will hide those typed messages and pop them out as a predictable bubble icon next to the message they were in response to (via 9to5Mac).

The Google Android side repair Earlier this year it worked in a similar fashion, by adding iOS-compatible emoji interactions to the Google Messages app. Apple’s iMessage Tapbacks have since appeared as proper emoji on Android devices using Google Messages, but the problem has largely persisted in “green bubble” iPhone threads.

Tapbacks started with iOS 10 in 2016 When iMessage received its most specific upgrade ever with features like full screen messaging effects and stickers. While iOS 16 iMessage adds more new features than it has in the six years since – Like the ability to edit / cancel sending messages – Still does not include support for RCS, the post-SMS messaging technology Google is focusing on.

Google has worked hard to try to speed up RCS adoption It can do more than just analyze cross-platform spam messages, but Apple seems to prefer this workaround over adopting a new standard. Probably RCS may need some work against actual spam Before Apple even thought about it.