Apple is planning to announce several new features for the Messages and Phone apps on iOS 26, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a lengthy report outlining his WWDC 2025 expectations today, Gurman said that the two main changes in the Messages app will be the ability to create polls, as well as the option to set a background image within a conversation. 9to5Mac was first to report that the Messages app would be gaining polls, allowing users to vote on questions and topics. It is a feature that has long existed in other popular messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram. Background images would add a personalized flair to conversations, and Gurman said that the images will…

At the Android Show before Google I/O, Google provided an update on RCS (Rich Communication Services) adoption, a modern SMS alternative with features like high-resolution media, typing indicators, read receipts, and enhanced group chats. The company announced that the messaging standard now handles over a billion daily messages in America, based on a 28-day average, Google stated. Sara Perez for TechCrunch: ‎ The stat is notable because Google fought for years to get Apple to adopt support for RCS on iOS, allowing for better communication between Android and Apple devices. Previously, iPhone users who received texts from friends on Android had to deal with blurry videos and images, and couldn’t as easily manage group chats when their green-bubbled friends joined.…

iMessage effects can add much more meaning, emotion and fun to your texting. You can add bold, italics, underline and many animated effects. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

Schedule a text message from your iPhone to make sure you never forget to send that reminder text or birthday greetings.  (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

RCS messaging is new to the iPhone, bringing modern features to ordinary green bubble texting like read receipts, videos and more. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

You can back up your text messages (and iMessages) with iMessage Exporter, a free tool for the Mac. This lets you save space on your phone. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)