iPhone-Android RCS messaging finally gets the security upgrade we've been waiting for

iPhone-Android text messaging through RCS has long been overdue for a security upgrade, and that upgrade is finally here (well, almost). Apple has released the iOS 26.5 release candidate, and amongst other changes, it officially introduces support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS conversations, expanding the safety net for iPhone-Android text conversations.

iOS 26.5 release candidate is widely rolling out. The update changelog explicitly notes the introduction of E2EE for RCS (beta) messaging, and Apple’s Senior Engineering Manager Emad Omara also notes on X that interoperable E2EE RCS is rolling out with this update.

The only catch here is that the feature is present in iOS 26.5 release candidate. A Release Candidate (RC) is the final near-stable release in the beta branch, which then graduates as the first release in the stable branch. You will have to wait a few days for this update to become widely available in the stable branch — my guess is it will be available next week.

Once iOS 26.5 rolls out, users will see a new toggle for end-to-end encryption in the Messages’ settings submenu. This toggle will be enabled by default and remains active for conversations with Android users as well.

With this in place, RCS conversations between iPhone and Android users will finally be encrypted by default, meaning they cannot be intercepted and read by any third party. This makes iPhone-Android conversations through the default messaging apps more secure and private than ever before.

Apple began testing E2EE in iOS 26.4 developer beta, but restricted the feature to iPhone-to-iPhone conversations only. iOS 26.4 beta 2 expanded it to Android conversations, but the company noted that the feature is still in testing and not shipping with the stable release. iOS 26.5 developer beta brought the feature back for testing, and iOS 26.5 RC/stable finally brings it to the masses, fixing years of security oversight.