With the second iOS 26.4 beta, Apple and Google have started testing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages exchanged between iPhone and Android users. Apple started testing E2EE for RCS in the ...
Apple notes that the encrypted messages are just a test and aren't available for all devices, carriers, or regions yet.
Apple added RCS to the iPhone, but crucially, the current implementation lacks end-to-end encryption. That's changing in the latest beta.
Encrypted text messages may finally reach iPhone users with iOS 26. Code in the beta version of iOS 26 reveals strings for RCS encryption. With encryption, texts between iOS and Android will be more ...
After the first beta was iPhone to iPhone only, the second iOS 26.4 developer beta lets iPhones and Androids trade fully ...
Does Apple want you to switch? Probably not, but at least it's making the move less painful.
The next iPhone software is just around the corner, but the first beta is out already and has significant changes.