With the release of the first developer beta of iOS 26.5 today, Apple has re-enabled support for end-to-end encrypted RCS communication between iPhone and Android devices. The feature was previously being tested in the betas of iOS 26.4; however, it was removed from Settings in later betas as Apple intended for it to be released in a later iOS 26 version. With today’s update, it looks like Apple will launch the feature with iOS 26.5.
In the developer release notes of iOS 26.4 Beta 2 last month, Apple mentioned details on the upcoming feature: “In this beta, RCS end-to-end encryption will become available for testing between Apple and Android devices. This feature is not shipping in this release and will be available to customers in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS 26 releases. End-to-end encryption is in beta and is not available for all devices or carriers. Conversations labeled as encrypted are encrypted end-to-end, so messages can’t be read while they’re sent between devices. (170160585)”
As stated, when this feature is enabled and supported by your carrier, messages cannot be accessed by a third party and will only be available to the people communicating within the chat.
If you are a developer and running the latest beta, the feature can be enabled by navigating to Settings>Messages> RCS Messaging and turning on End-to-End Encryption (Beta). Android users need to install the latest version of the Google Messages App to use this feature.
Do you currently use RCS on your iPhone? Let us know down in the comments or write to us on @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple news!
