With today’s release of iOS 26.5, Apple has begun rolling out beta support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging. As with all things RCS, there are some basic requirements both you and the recipient of your messages will need to fulfill before you messages are secured in transit.
First, you’ll need an iPhone running iOS 26.5 connected to a wireless network that supports E2E encrypted messaging over RCS. You can find the full list of compatible networks on Apple’s website. In the US, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are all out of the gate with day-one support for the protocol. As for your Android friends, they’ll need the latest version of Google Messages, running on a device connected to a compatible network.
On an iPhone, if you see a new lock icon at the top of your RCS chats, the conversation you’re in is secure. “Encryption is on by default and will be automatically enabled over time for new and existing RCS conversations,” Apple notes. For communication between different Apple devices, Apple will continue to route messages through its own iMessage protocol.
As is usually the case, Apple also dropped updates for iPadOS, macOS Tahoe and watchOS, all of which hit version 26.5 as well. There aren’t a ton of noteworthy features this time out; the main thing of note besides encrypted RCS is a new “suggested places” in Maps that highlights places you may be interested in based on recent searches and what’s trending near you. There is also a new Pride-themed “Luminance” wallpaper that’s quite lovely, colorful and customizable.
While I’m sure there will be some remaining quirks for Apple and Google to work out, today’s release effectively brings our long RCS nightmare to an end. Green chat bubbles (and their associated stigma) may remain, but at least iOS and Android users can finally chat with one another securely without turning to a third-party app like Signal or WhatsApp. It may have taken years, a pressure campaign of questionable value, and pressure from Chinese regulators, but we got here.
