Apple is testing E2EE for RCS in iOS 26.4 Beta

General News
,
1

With iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and macOS Tahoe 26.4, Apple is testing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for ‌RCS‌ messages, a security feature that is not currently available for cross-platform messaging

ios 26 4 rcs messaging
ios 26 4 rcs messaging1600×900 71.4 KB

Messages sent by ‌RCS‌ that have end-to-end encryption will feature a lock icon in the conversation interface. As of right now, Apple is testing iPhone-to-iPhone ‌RCS‌ encryption, with the feature set to roll out for ‌iPhone‌ and Android conversations in a future iOS 26 update.

Messages that feature E2EE will feature a lock icon in the conversation UI, both for iMessages and ‌RCS‌ Messages.

5 Likes
2

Finally! Apple grows a brain cell on this. I still feel they could have done a lot more a lot sooner.

3

Would anyone serious about privacy and security use it though? I haven’t seen any evidence that RCS is any better than WhatsApp or FB Messenger.

4

It’s replacing unencrypted SMS. So the idea is that by default, you’ll have E2EE instead of ever having to worry about sending an unencrypted message. Signal is almost certainly better of course but its an objective inprovement.

1 Like