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

Tech Home Tech Services & Software Operating Systems Mobile OS iOS Your iPhone RCS chats with Android are encrypted in iOS 26.5: How to verify E2E is enabled With the latest 26.5 updates, RCS messages are also encrypted with the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and even the Vision Pro. Written by Lance Whitney, ContributorContributor May 12, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. PT

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• iOS 26.5 will encrypt RCS text messages between iOS and Android.
• The encryption supports the iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
• The update brings new Pride wallpaper to iPhone and Apple Watch.

iPhone owners who exchange texts with Android users should now find that their messages are safe and secure from prying eyes. Released on Monday, Apple's iOS 26.5 finally brings end-to-end encryption to RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages. Thanks to the latest iOS updates, that protection also extends to the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

Also: How to send RCS messages from your iPhone to your Android user friends

This type of end-to-end encryption means that your messages can't be read while they travel between devices. For now, the feature will be in beta mode as it rolls out. Though the encryption is enabled by default, its actual use depends on a couple of factors.

How to check if E2E encryption is enabled

First, your carrier needs to support the technology. Though all the major carriers should already be on board, smaller regional ones may not have completed the necessary steps yet. Apple's web page on Wireless Carrier Support and Features will tell you if your carrier has adopted the encryption by listing "End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging (beta)" as one of its features.

Second, Android users must be running the latest version of Google Messages. Assuming those two conditions are met, iPhone owners will see a new lock icon in their RCS chats as a sign that the end-to-end encryption is working.

To ensure that your RCS messages are encrypted, you'll need to update your iPhone to iOS 26.5. To do that, head to Settings, select General, tap Software Update, and then tap the Update Now button.

Also: 12+ iPhone settings you can change to noticeably improve its battery life (iOS 26 and older)

After the update has been installed and your phone has restarted, you can double-check the encryption option. Go to Settings, select Apps, and then tap Messages. Swipe down the screen to the Text Messaging section and tap the entry for RCS Messaging. Make sure that End-to-End Encryption (Beta) is turned on.

You'll also want to perform the same steps on an iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Vision Pro. You can then send and receive texts with your Android contacts knowing that the messages will be encrypted on both ends. To confirm this, swipe to the top of the screen of a text conversation with an Android user. You should see the lock icon followed by the word Encrypted.

"Encrypted RCS is a real privacy win, and the cross-industry work with Google and the GSMA is the harder achievement worth acknowledging," Adam Boynton, Senior Security Strategy Manager for Apple device security provider Jamf, told ZDNET. "The honest caveat is that encryption secures the pipe, not the person on either end. The fastest-growing threat on mobile is no longer interception, it is impersonation. AI-cloned voices and deepfake messages pass every technical check because nothing was ever compromised. We have solved for the transit. We have not solved for the human."

Other iOS 26.5 features

Aside from the encryption, the iOS 26.5 update is a minor one but does kick in a few new features. 

You'll discover new Pride Luminance wallpaper for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. A "Suggested Places" option in Apple Maps will steer you to spots you may want to visit. Apple developers can now sell you annual subscriptions but charge you monthly. On the downside, though, Apple Maps may also start to show you local ads based on your location.

Also: Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: I compared two of the best navigation apps - here's my pick

Of course, the usual bug fixes are also baked into the latest update. 

For the iPhone and iPad alone, version iOS 26.5 resolves more than 60 security vulnerabilities affecting a variety of features. The encryption and the security fixes both make this otherwise minor update worth installing.

"The headline number of fixes matters less than the pattern behind them," Boynton said. "A concentration of WebKit vulnerabilities alongside kernel memory issues and an App Intents sandbox escape reflects the types of components commonly chained together in modern mobile attacks. None of the vulnerabilities disclosed by Apple are reported as actively exploited, but the update offers a useful look at the current mobile threat landscape. One kernel issue was credited to Google's Threat Analysis Group, which focuses on state-backed threats and high-risk users, while a separate WebKit flaw was credited to Anthropic researchers working with Claude."

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