iOS 27 introduces several enhancements to the Messages app, powered in part by Apple Intelligence. New ‘one-tap suggestions’ can help users complete tasks or find relevant information to share within conversations, such as creating reminders or locating photos based on keywords, locations, and people.

A notable addition is the ‘Drawing’ iMessage app, offering basic Markup tools for sending quick doodles, similar to those found in Notes and Preview. This feature is expected to be particularly useful on the larger display of the anticipated iPhone Ultra.

For RCS messaging, iOS 27 brings in-line replies and proper Tapback reaction support, meaning Android users will see reactions like hearts and thumbs-ups directly, rather than text descriptions. The RCS 2.7 standard also paves the way for future message editing and unsending capabilities. Additional updates include consolidated tapback notifications, personalized Smart Reply suggestions, and automatic blocking of violent content for child accounts. Performance improvements focus on faster message sending, loading, syncing, and media handling, with features like automatic retries for failed messages and improved search functionality.