After months of planning, Apple has finally launched the end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging feature in iOS, which means cross-platform SMS communications between Android and iPhone users will enjoy a higher level of security. Apple continues to make progress on end-to-end encrypted RCS messages, having been tested on a small scale for several months in the iOS 26.4 developer beta. The feature is now ready for testing with a wider range of public users.
Apple announced on Monday that iPhone users running iOS 26.5 and using supported carrier services, as well as Android users using the latest version of Google Messages, will have access to end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging capabilities starting today. This means that when the above conditions are met, RCS messages transmitted between devices cannot be read during the sending process.
When messages are encrypted, users will see a new lock icon in the RCS chat interface. Apple has announced the list of operators participating in the project on its support page.
Apple specifically pointed out that this feature is still in the testing phase and will be rolled out in phases. Whether it is a new or existing RCS session, encryption will be automatically enabled over time.
Apple initially began testing the end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging feature in the first developer beta of iOS 26.4 in mid-February. Early testing is extremely limited, limited to iPhone users with iMessage turned off. However, about a week later, Apple released the second developer beta version of iOS 26.4, allowing fully encrypted RCS message communication between Android and iPhone devices for the first time.
As early as March 2025, Apple announced that it would provide end-to-end encryption support for the RCS messaging function of the iOS system.