With the imminent release of iOS 26.5, Apple will introduce support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhones and Google Messages on Android devices.
Today, Apple released the candidate version of iOS 26.5 for developers and public testers. The changelog includes the following note: “End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging (beta) in Messages is available with supported carriers and will be gradually rolled out.”
This feature has been under testing since February. As part of the RCS Universal Profile from the GSMA, messages exchanged between Android and iOS users will remain unreadable by anyone else, as they are transmitted directly between devices.
Once this feature is live, the iPhone Messages app will show “Text Message · RCS | [lock icon] Encrypted” at the center of conversations with Android users.
In Google Messages, the same lock icon will appear, similar to conversations with Android users.
To enable this feature, navigate to iOS Settings > Messages > RCS Messaging and ensure that “End-to-End Encryption (Beta)” is activated. (It is enabled by default.) Android devices must have the latest version of Google Messages installed.
The launch of iOS 26.5 is anticipated within the next week or so.