Apple Rolls Out iOS 26.5 End-to-End Encrypted RCS Messaging Between iPhone and Android

Apple has begun rolling out iOS 26.5 with end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhones and Android devices, with the feature launching in beta for iPhone users running iOS 26.5 with supported carriers and Android users on the latest version of Google Messages.

“When RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted, they can’t be read while they’re sent between devices.”

Apple

Apple says, "When RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted, they can’t be read while they’re sent between devices," and users will know a conversation is protected when they see a new lock icon in their RCS chats.

Apple

The rollout is described as gradual, with encryption "on by default and will be automatically enabled over time for new and existing RCS conversations," and the cross-platform change is presented as an addition to RCS rather than a replacement for iMessage.

PCMag also ties the update to iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 releases, noting that "end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging" is included between iPhones and Android devices.

Google’s blog frames the same start date, saying "Starting today, end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging begins rolling out in beta" for iPhone users on iOS 26.5 and Android users on the latest Google Messages.

The Shortcut describes the user-facing cue as a lock icon above messages, saying you "will know your conversation is encrypted when you see a lock icon above your messages" as iOS 26.5 rolls out to users on supported carriers.

On iPhone, The Shortcut directs users to Settings > Messages > RCS Messaging and to toggle on "End-to-End Encryption (Beta)" to enable the feature when it is available.

blog.google

Technology Org emphasizes that the encryption is designed so that "nobody in the middle can read it, not a hacker on the same Wi-Fi, not the carrier, not a government agency," and it links the change to a cross-industry effort to bring end-to-end encryption into the RCS standard.

PCMag adds that the option launches in beta and includes a specific Apple description of the protection: "When RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted, they can’t be read while they’re sent between devices," while also noting other iOS 26.5 changes like improvements to Liquid Glass and keyboard accuracy.

The Hacker News similarly quotes Apple’s statement that users will see a new lock icon in RCS chats, and it describes the feature as part of a "cross-industry effort" to replace traditional SMS with a more secure alternative.

Multiple outlets describe the feature as beta and dependent on both devices and carriers, with The Gadgeteer saying it is "rolling out gradually based on device, carrier, and account" and that encryption is on by default once requirements are met.

“rolling out gradually based on device, carrier, and account”

The Gadgeteer

Engadget specifies practical requirements, saying an iPhone must be running iOS 26.5 and connected to a wireless network that supports E2E encrypted messaging over RCS, while Android users need the latest version of Google Messages on a compatible network.

The Shortcut lists AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile among the first North American carriers to support E2E RCS, and it also provides a longer carrier list that includes options such as Bell, Cricket, and Rogers.

Technology Org places the update in a longer timeline, saying iMessage shipped with end-to-end encryption back in 2011 for Apple-to-Apple conversations and that Android users got the same protection inside Google Messages in 2021, with cross-platform encryption arriving only now.

PCMag and Apple both frame the change as a security upgrade for RCS chats rather than a shift away from iMessage, with Apple stating, "iMessage was built with privacy in mind and has always been end-to-end encrypted," and PCMag noting the iOS 26.5 update brings encrypted RCS messaging between iPhones and Android devices.