In iOS 17 we could see some iMessage features, including higher image quality, to be available to iOS users even with an Android user present in a group chat.
Apple failed to mention one big thing during the WWDC 2023 keynote on Monday and considering the implications it is somewhat surprising that it wasn’t brought up during the event. While iOS 17 adds some cool new features to the iPhone, it also will allow iPhone users in a group iMessage chat to continue receiving some iMessage-like features even if the chat is « invaded » by an Android user. At least that is the experience discovered by XDA Developers after installing the first iOS 17 beta.In the first iOS 17 beta, Apple allows iOS users to keep some iMessage features even with an Android user present
As you might know by now, all of the lovely features that iMessage gives iOS users such as end-to-end encryption, read receipts, typing indicators, higher-quality images and video, and blue text bubbles all go away and the messaging platform reverts back to ancient SMS/MMS features once an Android user becomes part of a group chat. But to be fair, all of these features are part of the RCS Chat experience for Android users and they disappear too once an iOS user invades a previously all RCS group chat. But according to XDA, on the first iOS 17 beta it seems that if one Android user joins a previously all-iOS messaging session, the iPhone users will still get to edit texts, reply in threads, and receive the high quality images and video that they would normally get in iMessage.
