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Home/Tech/Apple Confirms RCS End-to-End Encryption in iOS 26.5 Messages App
VERIFIEDBy Xavier Rivera· ·1 min read

Apple Confirms RCS End-to-End Encryption in iOS 26.5 Messages App

Apple has confirmed that iOS 26.5 will add end-to-end encryption to RCS messaging in the Messages app. This will make cross-platform conversations between iPhone and Android users more secure and private.

Source:9to5Mac
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Apple Confirms RCS End-to-End Encryption in iOS 26.5 Messages App
TL;DRAI · 60 sec read

Apple confirms end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging in iOS 26.5 Messages app via release candidate notes, now available. The beta feature, tested in betas and removed from iOS 26.4, works with supported carriers and ships in the final update next week. Apple lists carriers soon. This secures iPhone-Android chats with iMessage-like features.

Apple will ship end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in iOS 26.5, the company confirms in the release notes attached to the update's release candidate, which is out now.

The encryption arrives as a beta, gated by carrier support. Apple's notes describe the feature as rolling out over time on supported carriers, and the company plans to publish a carrier compatibility list before the update's public release — expected next week, 9to5Mac reports.

The feature survived a cut that removed it from iOS 26.4. Encrypted RCS appeared in 26.4's betas but was pulled before that release shipped. Its uninterrupted run through the 26.5 beta cycle had signaled Apple intended to ship it this time — the release notes now make that official.
Why it matters: RCS is the protocol behind modern iPhone-to-Android texting. Until now those conversations lacked the end-to-end encryption iMessage users get by default; iOS 26.5 closes that gap where carriers support it.
Why this mattersAI · ~100 words

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