That was fast: iOS 26.4 beta 2 now lets iPhones send encrypted RCS messages to Android
That was fast: iOS 26.4 beta 2 now lets iPhones send encrypted RCS messages to Android
Publish Date: 2026-02-24 05:46:00
Source Domain: www.tomsguide.com
Last week saw Apple release the first iOS 26.4 beta, which included a bunch of new features and changes for Apple’s mobile software. Included among them was the news that Apple had started testing encrypted RCS messaging, but only between iPhones. Now, with the release of iOS 26.4 beta 2, that’s changed.
At the time, I hoped that it wouldn’t be long before Apple started testing encryption for RCS messages sent between iPhones and Androids as well. Though not even I would have suspected it would happen quite this quickly. But I’m glad that it has.
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(Image credit: Future)
No lock means your messages are about as secure as an open gate.
Apple has previously confirmed that RCS won’t change the green bubble situation. So Android users will remain green, regardless of encryption status, while iMessages are displayed in blue. However, testers will see a lock icon on all encrypted messages, so they know how secure their conversations are.
That change applies to RCS and iMessage, so there’s absolutely no confusion. No lock means your messages are about as secure as an open gate.
The benefit of RCS messaging between iPhone and Android is that all the old issues from cross-platform messaging have gone away. Larger file sharing limits mean photos and videos won’t be compressed to oblivion, and users will benefit from modern features like read receipts, typing indicators, reaction emojis and more.
