Apple is starting to test end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) RCS messages with the developer beta of iOS 26.4, released on Monday. Apple announced plans to support this feature last year, and once fully available, it will let iPhone and Android users send encrypted RCS messages to each other across all platforms.
However, with this initial implementation, Apple is only testing RCS encryption between Apple devices. Apple says, “This is not yet testable with other platforms.” The company also does not plan to ship E2EE RCS messages with iOS 26.4; Apple says this feature will actually ship to the public in a “future update.”
RCS messages greatly improve the texting experience between iPhone and Android devices, but cross-platform encryption has been a major drawback. The GSM Association, which helps develop RCS, announced in September 2024 that it was working on E2EE messages as part of the “next major milestone” for the RCS Universal Profile, and Apple said in March 2025 that it would support E2EE RCS messages on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in a “future software update.”
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