iMessage is an app that millions of people use every day But despite this, Apple has largely neglected it until now

That will change this year at WWDC 2024, Apple revealed a number of improvements with the release of iOS 18 iOS 18 is currently in developer beta and will be released this fall for all devices supported by iOS 18, including the new iPhone 16

Here are some of the improvements

Here are all the changes coming your way

After years of persistent demands by Google, Apple finally relented and promised to adopt the RCS standard at some point in 2024

No, it won't end the blue and green messaging bubble split from iPhone to Android, but it should remove the barrier that made Android users second-class citizens in cross-platform iMessage group chats This means higher quality media sharing, read receipts, longer character limits, etc

However, it is worth noting that Apple appears to support only RCS Universal Profile 24, not the current version (26), which lacks end-to-end encryption and some Google-specific features

Currently, Tapback (an emoji reply pasted below a message, usually sent in place of a full reply) is fairly limited There are only six to choose from: heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, 'Ha Ha', two exclamation points, and a question mark

That will change in iOS 18, where any emoji can be used as a tap back, similar to WhatsApp and Slack, opening the door to the eye, thinking face, and smirk emoji if you see fit

But Apple is trying to outdo its rivals by allowing stickers to be used as Tapbacks as well: swiping left on a Tapbacks suggestion will bring up the most frequently used emoji or sticker, allowing for a more personal approach

Speaking of personalization, Apple plans to introduce a rich text formatting option

But Apple didn't stop there, announcing eight special effects that can be added to any text These are big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, and jitter, and while perhaps not what you want to pop into every message, are a nice novelty all the same

Personalization doesn't stop there Apple announced Genmoji, or AI-generated emoji, as one of iOS 18's big AI features

Simply write a prompt and the iPhone will generate an emoji, such as the smiley face with cucumbers over the eyes, pictured above, for example, and pop it into an iMessage conversation

However, this Apple Intelligence feature only works with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max; it requires the A17 Pro processor The new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro should also support this feature

Sometimes it's nice to write a message that is automatically sent at a time of your choice; Gmail allows you to do that, but iMessage does not

There's no need to set a reminder in Siri in iOS 18, just prepare your message, tap the "+" button on the left, and select a time in the "Send Later" option

Starting with the iPhone 14, Apple introduced satellite communication for when cellular signal is not available According to the company, this has already saved lives

With iOS 18, compatible devices will be able to send iMessages and SMS via satellite

This long-term pricing is still a question mark Apple initially stated that satellite communications would be free for the first two years of iPhone use The company then extended this for a year with the iPhone 14, so theoretically the point at which everyone would have to pay a fee has not yet been reached At this point, it is not clear when or who will have to pay and, more importantly, how much it will cost if they do