iMessage in iOS 18 to bring new text effects to individual words

Apple is bringing a new iMessage experience to iOS 18! Even when sending to Android users, the company is rumored to introduce more new text effects that can stylize messages.

Here’s what we know so far:

Animated Text: Say goodbye to static text messages. iOS 18’s iMessage may allow you to animate individual words in a sentence. Imagine sending “Happy Birthday” with the word “Happy” exploding in a shower of confetti, or “Congratulations” illuminated by sparkling fireworks. MacRumors reports that these effects will be a step beyond existing full-message animations like balloons and confetti showers.
Cross-platform compatibility: This is where things get interesting. While iMessage currently limits fancy effects to iPhone users, Apple’s confirmation of RCS messaging support in iOS 18 raises the possibility that these new text effects can be sent and viewed on Android devices as well. RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a messaging standard that aims to bridge the gap between SMS and iMessage features.

In addition to these text effects, the rumor mill also suggests that iOS 18’s iMessage could attractively leverage Apple’s growing AI capabilities. Imagine prompting iMessage to generate an image based on your description, and then send it seamlessly into your message. With the official iOS 18 expected to arrive soon at WWDC (Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference), we shouldn’t have to wait much longer for confirmation of these features and more.