iOS 26.5 Adds End-to-End Encryption for RCS, Bolstering Cross-Platform Security

RCS is a GSMA-backed mobile messaging standard that supports high-resolution media, read receipts and group chats. Apple enabled RCS with the launch of iOS 18 in 2024, but messages exchanged between iPhones and Android devices still lacked end-to-end encryption. That left a longstanding privacy gap because carriers or service platforms could potentially access the content.

Apple and Google recently announced that end-to-end encryption will be added to cross-platform RCS messages in iOS 26.5 and enabled by default. After the update, messages will be decryptable only on the sender's and recipient's devices. Carriers, Apple and Google will be unable to read the content in transit, closing a critical security gap in messaging between iPhones and Android devices.