RCS is the modern upgrade to SMS and MMS, bringing better photos, read receipts, typing indicators, group chats, and growing iPhone-Android support in 2026.

RCS messaging is now rolling out in beta through iOS 26.5, developed in collaboration with Google and the GSMA, the organization behind the RCS standard. The update brings a major privacy upgrade to ...

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and Android devices is officially available, Apple confirmed today. Support is included in iOS 26.5, which is now available to everyone.

Apple's iOS 26.5 RC introduces E2EE for RCS, finally bringing secure, encrypted messaging to conversations between iPhone and Android users.

As part of the iOS 26.5 update, Apple’s Messages app can now encrypt texts between some iPhone and Android smartphones.

Samsung’s decision to kill its own Messages app was expected — to do so in just 12 weeks was a surprise. It also has major implications for the future of messaging on your phone. “The Samsung Messages ...

What’s new?: iOS 26.5 introduces beta end-to-end encryption for RCS chats between iPhone and Android users, bringing them on par with iMessage security. Who supports it?: Major U.S. carriers including ...

Your iPhone RCS chats with Android are encrypted in iOS 26.5: How to verify E2E is enabled ...

RCS message open in iPhone messaging app - Kafka Ibram/Shutterstock After years of back and forth about blue bubbles and green bubbles, Apple finally addressed the need for better text messaging ...

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and Android devices is coming in iOS 26.5, Apple confirmed today. The feature is listed in Apple's iOS 26.5 release notes. Apple says ...

OS 26.5 just turned on encrypted RCS between iPhone and Android in 2026. Here's what changes, who's covered, and the one setting you need to check.