RCS update standardizes message replies, editing, reactions, more for Android & iPhone

The GSMA Association (GSMA) is responsible for maintaining Rich Communication Services (RCS) and the latest update to the standard adds “Extended Messaging” that should improve Android and iPhone interoperability.

Universal Profile 2.7 was finalized in June (and publicized in July) with “support for more engaging messaging experiences.” This includes:

• “enabling Replies and Reactions (including Custom Reactions) to sent and received messages”
• “for the message sender, to Edit, Recall and Delete message that they sent earlier for themselves and the message recipient”

Today, both the iOS Messages app and Google Messages on Android convert reactions (Tapbacks on the iPhone) in SMS conversations so that the actual emoji appears. This capability becoming part of the standard should mean that the client apps don’t have to effectively translate each reaction.

In the specification, Reactions refer to an emoji or emoticon. Multiple “from the same sender may be associated with a message,” while you can remove them after the fact.

There’s also support for Custom Reactions, which can be an “existing or generated image.” This could be a Live Sticker, Genmoji, or Photomoji. Behind-the-scenes:

A Custom Reaction message is a File Transfer message with extended headers

Meanwhile, iOS 18 today does not support inline/threaded replies from Android users that note what message the sender was referencing. This update to RCS should mandate that:

Along with message deletion, the ability to edit what you sent for typos is straightforward.

The ability to recall or undo a message is described as such: 

An RCS client shall provide an option to recall an RCS message shortly after they sent that message.

As part of this standards update, RCS will also “Extend Spam Reporting to person to person messaging.”

• “The Spam Report Message allows a client to report an RCS user as a spammer or as an identifier involved in fraud, sending inappropriate content, or other inappropriate behaviour.”
• “The Spam Report Messages are conveyed in a spam report system message (SIP MESSAGE) to the application server. They are targeted to the configuration parameter IMSPAM-REPORTING-URI and shall be sent only by RCS clients. The Service Provider application server shall process the Spam Report Messages and take unilateral blocking action.”

Thanks Matthew G.