Messages and FaceTime on iOS 27: dual-camera support, polls, and emoji reactions in shared albums

iOS 27 brings poll creation to Messages conversations and consolidates multiple Tapback notifications. FaceTime gains dual-camera support, improves quality on poor connections, and speeds up call launch. Shared Albums gain emoji reactions.

Messages: polls and less noise

In the iOS 27 technical documentation surfaced after the WWDC 2026 keynote, MacRumors catalogued a series of updates to communication apps that did not make it onto the keynote stage. In Messages, the most useful addition is poll creation inside conversations — a feature that has existed in WhatsApp and Telegram for years, finally available in Apple's native app. Multiple Tapback notifications will be consolidated into a single aggregated notification, reducing reaction noise in group conversations. Shared Albums gain emoji reactions, aligning the experience with what is already available in Messages.

FaceTime: dual-camera and poor connections

FaceTime gains dual-camera support, allowing users to alternate or combine the front and rear camera feeds during a video call — useful for demonstrations, presentations, or simply showing surroundings while maintaining eye contact. Apple has also improved video quality on unstable connections and reduced FaceTime call launch times. Live Captions gain support for Traditional Chinese.

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