Apple started rolling out the second betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers earlier today. These updates come two weeks after the release of the first beta software for these versions. The updates include improvements to Liquid Glass, a new Siri AI, new Screen Time options, and more, announced at WWDC held earlier this month. The first beta included a series of changes, and the second beta includes further refinements and new features.
The second beta includes two new features for RCS texting, as noted by MacRumors and Aaron Perris on X. RCS was first enabled on the iPhone with iOS 18, with iOS 26.5 bringing end-to-end encryption to RCS. With today’s update, it seems that Apple has added support for in-line replies, as well as support for reactions for RCS messaging with Android users.
This means that iOS 27 beta users are able to swipe right on a particular message to respond to it in RCS conversations, similar to iMessage conversations. Moreover, when a user on Android reacts to a message that an iPhone user sent via RCS, iOS 27 beta 2 will actually show the emoji reaction under the message instead of saying that they ‘liked your image/video’, which could be confusing, as one would not know which content they reacted to.
These features are expected to be released along with iOS 27 to the public this fall, and are currently in testing for beta users. Users who are registered as a developer on www.developer.apple.com can opt in to receive beta updates by going into Settings>General>Software Update>Beta Updates and selecting Developer Beta.
Do note that these versions are not stable and are meant for testing purposes. They are not recommended to be downloaded on a primary device due to the nature of beta software. What’s your favorite feature? Let us know down in the comments or write to us on @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple news!
