iPhone-Android RCS Conversations Are End-to-End Encrypted in iOS 26.5
Source: MacRumors
End-to-End Encryption for RCS in iOS 26.5
End-to‑to‑end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and Android devices is officially available, Apple confirmed today. Support is included in iOS 26.5, which is now available to everyone.
End‑to‑end encrypted RCS messaging is available in a beta capacity, even though it is part of the launch version of iOS 26.5. The feature works with supported carriers and will roll out over time. For a conversation to be encrypted, both the sender and the receiver must use a carrier that supports the latest version of RCS.
Apple worked with Google to lead a cross‑industry effort to add E2EE to RCS. iOS users need iOS 26.5, while Android users need the latest version of Google Messages.
- E2EE is enabled by default.
- A toggle for it appears in the Messages section of the Settings app.
- Encrypted messages are marked with a small lock symbol.
E2EE means that messages sent between devices cannot be intercepted and read by a third party. On iPhones not running iOS 26.5, RCS messages between iPhone and Android users do not have E2EE, but the new update puts Android‑to‑iPhone conversations on par with iPhone‑to‑iPhone conversations that are encrypted through iMessage.
Along with Google, Apple collaborated with the GSM Association to implement E2EE for RCS messages. E2EE is part of the RCS Universal Profile 3.0, published with Apple’s help and built on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol. RCS Universal Profile 3.0 also includes:
- Editing and deleting messages
- Cross‑platform Tapback support
- Inline replies to specific messages during cross‑platform conversations