Breaking: Apple's iOS 26.5 update, released this week, delivers end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Rich Communication Services (RCS) chats between iPhones and Android devices. This marks a historic shift in default messaging security for billions of users.
Conversations in Apple Messages and Google Messages will now be encrypted by default—provided carriers support both RCS and encrypted messaging (see list of carriers). End-to-end encryption ensures that neither Apple, Google, nor mobile carriers can read message contents.
“This is the biggest leap forward for cross-platform messaging privacy in years,” said Dr. Elena Torres, a cybersecurity researcher at Stanford University. “Encrypting billions of conversations by default removes a massive surveillance risk.”
The feature relies on Apple and Google implementing the GSMA RCS Universal Profile 3.0, which uses the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol. However, the rollout is in beta on Apple devices and depends on carrier support and updated Google Messages software.
When active, users will see a lock icon and the word “Encrypted” at the top of RCS conversations (see example image). Until then, chats remain unencrypted.
Background
RCS is the modern replacement for SMS, enabling high-quality media sharing between Android and iPhone. Apple added RCS support in 2024, improving image and video quality, but encryption was missing.
Both companies had promised E2EE for RCS. This update fulfills that commitment through the GSMA’s global standard, which also allows for federation across different messaging apps.
Metadata—such as sender, receiver, and timestamp—will still be collected. Additionally, cloud backups may store messages unencrypted unless users enable Advanced Data Protection on iOS or verify Google Messages backup settings (text encrypted, but not media).
“While this is a win, privacy-conscious users should still consider Signal for truly private conversations,” noted Torres.
What This Means
For over 1 billion iPhone users and 2 billion Android users, everyday chats with friends, family, and colleagues will now be secure from snooping by cybercriminals, advertisers, and even governments. The move sets a new baseline for mass-market encryption.
The change is gradual due to carrier dependencies. Google and Apple advise updating to the latest software versions. Once all parties meet requirements, encrypted chats become the norm.
Experts applaud the collaborative effort but urge both companies to address metadata collection and backup encryption gaps. “This is the easy part—the hard part is making sure encryption truly covers all data, including metadata and backups,” Torres added.
Nevertheless, the milestone signals a paradigm shift in how the industry views default privacy protections.