iPhone’s next big update will finally secure Android RCS chats

Apple introduced cross-platform RCS support to the iPhone’s Messages app in 2023. While this upgrade improved the texting experience between iPhone and Android, there was a major security issue: such chats did not support end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Apple will start addressing this problem with the next major iPhone update.

Apple started testing E2EE (end-to-end encryption) support for cross-platform RCS chats on the iPhone at the beginning of this year. While the feature was found in iOS 26.4 beta builds, it never made its way to the final public release. But with the upcoming iOS 26.5 update, Apple will enable E2EE support for RCS chats on the iPhone.

Apple's release notes for iOS 26.5 RC (Release Candidate) mention the following changes:

• End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging (beta) in Messages is available with supported carriers and will roll out over time.
• Pride Luminance wallpaper that dynamically refracts a spectrum of colors, is available for download.
• Suggested Places in Maps displays recommendations based on what’s trending nearby and your recent searches.

As the company makes it clear, cross-platform E2EE support for RCS chats on the iPhone will only work with limited carriers initially. A wider rollout will happen "over time." Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about this.

RCS conversations on the iPhone will show a lock icon with "Encrypted" written below the RCS label to indicate that the chat is E2EE.

E2EE is the baseline for today's messaging apps

All major messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Google Messages, and Apple's own Messages app, support E2EE. This ensures that no one but the sender and recipient can read the content of the chat. So, the lack of cross-platform E2EE support for RCS chats on the iPhone stood out like a sore thumb, especially since Apple heavily talks about privacy and security on its devices.

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Apple is likely bringing E2EE support for RCS chats by adopting the RCS Universal Profile 3.0 standard. It packs several other improvements, including better spam detection, enhanced interactions with Chatbots, etc. However, it remains unclear whether Apple will implement the full set of features.

GSMA, the organization behind the RCS Universal Profile, has already finalized the specifications of RCS Universal Profile 4.0. It promises to bring Messaging-Initiated Video Calls (MIVC). Theoretically, this should allow iPhone and Android users to initiate video calls with each other right from their native messaging apps. But again, everything depends on when Google, Apple, and major carriers decide to adopt the standard.