Apple, Google begin encrypted RCS rollout

Apple and Google have started rolling out end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhone and Android devices, adding a security layer that had been missing from many cross-platform text conversations. Apple said on May 11 that the feature was beginning to appear in beta for iPhone users running iOS 26.5 with supported carriers, while Google said Android users on the latest version of Google Messages would also begin receiving it. The change means some RCS chats between iPhones and Android phones will now show a lock icon when encryption is active. Both companies said the rollout is staged and depends on software and carrier support. ### Which users are getting encrypted RCS first? Apple said the beta rollout started on May 11 for iPhone users on iOS 26.5 whose carriers support the feature. In a support document updated this week, Apple said end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging is on by default where available and “will roll out over time.” (apple.com) Google said Android users need the latest version of Google Messages to participate in encrypted cross-platform RCS chats. Apple’s newsroom post said Android users on the latest Google Messages build are part of the rollout, tying availability on both sides to current software versions. ### How do users know a chat is actually encrypted? (apple.com) Apple said iPhone users running iOS 26.5 will begin seeing a new lock icon in RCS chats when those messages are end-to-end encrypted. The company said the icon signals that messages in that conversation cannot be read while they are sent between devices. (apple.com) Google said the protection applies by default in supported chats. In its blog post, Google said the rollout secures cross-platform chats “by default,” matching Apple’s support note that the encryption setting is turned on automatically when available. ### Why is carrier support part of the rollout? (apple.com) Apple said carrier support is required for encrypted RCS on iPhone, and its support pages direct users to check whether their wireless provider supports RCS, including end-to-end encryption. The company also said activation can take several hours after setup. Earlier reporting from Android-focused outlets had pointed to carrier configuration as a gating factor before the stable rollout. (blog.google) Those reports said Apple’s beta software included settings that would allow carriers to enable encrypted RCS, but support was not universal at that stage. ### What changed from the earlier testing phase? (support.apple.com) Testing had been underway before the public rollout. Reports in February said Apple and Google had started testing encrypted RCS messaging between iPhone and Android devices in beta builds tied to iOS 26.4 and Google Messages. The May 11 rollout moved that work into a broader beta release attached to iOS 26.5. (androidauthority.com) Apple’s newsroom post described the feature as “begins rolling out today in beta,” while outside reports said the stable iOS 26.5 release or release candidate exposed the setting to more users. ### Does this replace iMessage or Google’s existing Android encryption? (9to5google.com) Apple’s support pages said iMessage remains Apple’s own messaging service, while RCS is the newer standard used when messaging non-Apple devices that support it. Google has long offered encrypted RCS chats in Google Messages in certain Android-to-Android cases, but the new change extends end-to-end encryption to supported iPhone-to-Android conversations. (apple.com) Apple said users who want encrypted RCS need iOS 26.5 and a carrier that supports the feature. Google said Android users need the latest Google Messages version, and Apple said availability will continue to expand over time as the staged beta rollout reaches more supported users. (support.apple.com)