iOS app: quote part of an assistant reply, like the desktop citations

[Vantrongs]

Since #9146 the desktop and web apps can cite part of an assistant reply: select text, optionally add a comment, and it goes into the next message as a citation. The iOS app shows citations sent from the desktop, as plain text, but cannot create them. To reply to a specific passage on the phone, I copy it, paste it into the composer, and mark it up by hand.

Proposal: in the iOS app, long-press an assistant message (or select text in it) and choose "Quote". It adds the same citation to the mobile composer and sends it in the same <assistant_citations> format, so the agent sees no difference between desktop and phone.

Related: #6981 (reply to selected text, scoped to web and desktop), #6965.

[isacstelian]

Same gap on the Android beta app. Long-pressing assistant text only shows the system menu (Copy, Select all). There's no Cite/Quote action, so the copy-paste-and-mark-up workaround is the only option there too.

From the source, this is shared mobile code, not an iOS-specific limitation. apps/mobile/src/features/threads/ThreadFeed.tsx renders received citations via renderAssistantCitationsAsText, and modules/t3-markdown-text registers no selection-menu action. docs/user/composer.md also scopes Cite to "web and desktop". Could this proposal cover both mobile platforms, maybe as a custom item in the native selection menu (Android ActionMode / iOS edit menu) that builds the citation with serializeAssistantCitation?

Env: Android beta app, server 0.0.46-nightly.20261010.

[Xentox-Phil]

That would be awesome having this functionality! i am always copying and pasting things down when i am using mobile app version of this!

[Abdullah1738]

@juliusmarminge @t3dotgg would you be ok with mobile cite in this shape?

• Select text in an assistant reply. Cite shows up in the native selection menu next to Copy (iOS edit menu, Android action mode). There's no custom toolbar.
• It inserts the same citation link web uses, so nothing changes on the server or for providers. The composer shows it as a quote chip.
• Citing opens a small native sheet with the quote and an optional comment field. Tapping the chip later reopens it to edit the comment or remove the quote.
• Assistant text only, like web. Going to the quote's source from a sent message is left for a follow-up.

I have it built and working on iPhone, iPad and Android in #18796, which was closed until this gets an answer. Happy to cut scope or change the shape if you'd rather it work differently.

[repparw]

Would be super useful on android. I'm resorting to copy-paste and prepending a > then typing my prompt. too much friction

[vdoshi96]

+1, would use this daily on iOS. Happy to implement in the native-selection-menu shape proposed above once a maintainer OKs the scope.

[coah80]

+1 MISSING THIS ON ANDROID LOL

[jlipworth]

+1. On mobile I often want to reply to one specific passage, and without Cite I copy it, paste it and mark it up by hand. The native-selection-menu shape @Abdullah1738 proposed (Cite next to Copy, same t3-citation: link as web) looks right. Mobile already renders citations; it just can't create them.