iOS 26.5 Brings Encrypted RCS to iPhone-Android Chats

Apple is adding end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhones and Android phones with iOS 26.5—a big upgrade for cross-platform texting security. The format is expected to provide a better messaging experience between iOS and Android, thanks to its improved usability and security.

The implementation relies on the GSMA's RCS Universal Profile and the Messaging Layer Security protocol, a standard for secure group messaging.

As of now, RCS encryption is in beta in iOS 26.5, so everyday users will experience it once the new iOS iteration rolls out to the general public, which is expected to occur next week. For RCS to work, both the iPhone and the Android phone must use RCS with compatible apps and carriers; if either side falls back to SMS or MMS, chats will not be encrypted end-to-end.

If you're wondering how to tell whether a conversation uses RCS, you're ...