If you're texting with an iOS user and they use a reaction, Apple "helpfully" forwards the reaction as text. Which is OK. What I don't like is that it also quotes the complete text that the person reacted to.

You can like a message a page up, for example, and you’ll get a random “user liked your message” and be completely lost.

True. There's no solution to this that appeals to everyone. Personally, it wouldn't bother me at all to not know which message got "liked" (because "liking" something doesn't really say anything that important), but I can see how it could be important to others.

Android does this too. I am in several group chat's with Android users and their reactions are also sent the same way.

<iPhone user> reacted haha to your message

<iPhone user> liked your message

SMS is being replaced with RCS, which does have reactions…even Apple is adding RCS…

Welcome to the future.

RCS is already here on Android, but I keep it disabled in order to avoid read receipts and typing indicators.

You can disable read receipts and typing indicators without disabling RCS

You can? That didn't used to be the case on my phone at all. Glad to hear they changed that.

I use Google Messages. I assumed that was what you were using too. Messages settings - RCS chats - Send read receipts and Show typing indicators.

Liked “You'll be glad to hear that SMS already doesn't have reactions”.

It’s really the most clunky backfill that Apple chose, I suspect on purpose.