End-to-end encryption might finally be coming to RCS messaging between iPhone and Android devices, based on code in the iOS 26 beta.
There was a lot of excitement when Apple finally brought RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging to iPhone a little over a year ago. The new standard permanently upgraded the process of sending messages between iPhone and Android devices. That said, iPhone owners are still waiting for Apple to support full end-to-end encryption when using RCS, which is one of the major benefits of RCS — beyond higher quality media sharing, reactions, read receipts, and other features the messaging protocol offers.
Earlier this year, Apple shared plans to bring end-to-end encryption to RCS on iPhone, but the company has yet to announce a specific timeline. However, new code found by Android Authority in the iOS 26 beta suggests that the privacy feature could arrive sooner rather than later.
