Your iPhone RCS chats with Android are encrypted in iOS 26.5: How to verify E2E is enabled
Your iPhone RCS chats with Android are encrypted in iOS 26.5: How to verify E2E is enabled
https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-ios-26-5-encrypts-rcs-text-messages-ios-and-android/
Publish Date: 2026-05-12 11:00:00
Source Domain: www.zdnet.com
Lance Whitney/ZDNET
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- iOS 26.5 will encrypt RCS text messages between iOS and Android.
- The encryption supports the iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
- The update brings new Pride wallpaper to iPhone and Apple Watch.
iPhone owners who exchange texts with Android users should now find that their messages are safe and secure from prying eyes. Released on Monday, Apple’s iOS 26.5 finally brings end-to-end encryption to RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages. Thanks to the latest iOS updates, that protection also extends to the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.
Also: How to send RCS messages from your iPhone to your Android user friends
This type of end-to-end encryption means that your messages can’t be read while they travel between devices. For now, the feature will be in beta mode as it rolls out. Though the encryption is enabled by default, its actual use depends on a couple of factors.
How to check if E2E encryption is enabled
First, your carrier needs to support the technology. Though all the major carriers should already be on board, smaller regional ones may not have completed the necessary steps yet. Apple’s web page on Wireless Carrier Support and Features will tell you if your carrier has adopted the encryption by listing “End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging (beta)” as one of its features.
Second, Android users must be running the latest version of Google Messages. Assuming those two conditions are met, iPhone owners will see a new lock icon in their RCS chats as a sign that the end-to-end encryption is working.
To ensure that your RCS messages are encrypted, you’ll need to update your iPhone to iOS 26.5. To do that, head to Settings, select General, tap Software Update, and then tap the Update Now button.
Also: 12+ iPhone settings you can change to noticeably improve its battery life (iOS 26 and older)
After the update has been installed and your phone has restarted, you can…
