By adopting the RCS protocol on iOS, Apple finally allowed iPhone and Android smartphone users to exchange texts through modern messaging, instead of using SMS or going through third-party messaging like WhatsApp or Signal. However, if this protocol facilitated the exchange of texts between the two platforms, there was still an invisible flaw. While RCS messages between Android smartphones have been secured with end-to-end encryption for a while, this was not the case for RCS messages between Android smartphones and iPhone.
Indeed, Apple was slow to adopt this encryption, which nevertheless makes the contents of messages unreadable when they pass through the servers. But, the good news is that this problem is finally corrected by the iOS 26.5 update just launched for compatible iPhones.
“Starting today, RCS Messaging with end-to-end encryption begins rolling out in beta to iPhone users with iOS 26.5 on compatible carriers, as well as Android users with the latest version of Google Messages. When RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted, they cannot be read while being transferred between devices.”confirms the Cupertino company, in an announcement published last night.
How do I know if the chat is secure?
For a text between iPhone and an Android smartphone to be secure, it must use the RCS protocol instead of SMS (which remains when you are not connected to the Internet). Additionally, to confirm that the chat is end-to-end encrypted, Apple will display a channels icon in the chat (as in the screenshot below). If this icon is not displayed, the chat is not end-to-end encrypted.
The news of this update was, naturally, well received by Google, which has always called for interoperability of default messaging between iOS and Android. “Privacy and security are essential. That’s why we’ve partnered with Apple to begin rolling out end-to-end encryption for RCS messages between Android and iPhone users now.», Writes the Mountain View firm on the social network X.
Privacy and security are important. That’s why we’ve partnered with Apple to start rolling out end-to-end encryption of RCS messages between Android and iPhone users now.
Learn more: pic.twitter.com/m3eCzGOxYr– Android (@Android) May 11, 2026
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