End-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages on iPhones could be closer than expected. Code found in early iOS 26 betas suggests Apple is already experimenting with the secure protocols that would allow encrypted texting for RCS, closing one of the last big gaps between iOS and Android messaging.
How Encryption Works
If rolled out, RCS messages would finally gain the same protection that iMessage has offered for years. End-to-end encryption ensures that every text, image, or file is scrambled on the sender’s device and can only be unscrambled on the recipient’s device. This prevents outsiders, including carriers and Apple itself, from reading private conversations.
Apple’s resistance to RCS has long been a sore point in the Android–iOS messaging divide. After agreeing to support the protocol through the GSM Association, Apple brought richer features like emoji reactions and higher-quality media to cross-platform chats. But while iMessage conversations have been encrypted for years, RCS on iPhones has remained unencrypted and still identified by the green bubbles many users associate with Android.
What the Code Reveals
Recent findings show that iOS 26 contains code referencing the same secure group messaging protocol and security layer used by Google Messages. This indicates Apple is laying the foundation for encrypted RCS chats. While the feature isn’t confirmed for the September release of iOS 26, it could debut in a later update such as 26.1. Reports suggest optimism that the rollout will happen sooner rather than later.
Even with encryption, green bubbles are not going away. But Apple adding E2EE to RCS would represent the closest step yet toward leveling the messaging experience between iPhone and Android users. At minimum, it would mean those green bubble conversations will no longer be the weak link in text security.
Apple’s Move Feels Inevitable
Apple held off on RCS for years, but encryption was always going to be the tipping point. Once privacy became the standard expectation for messaging apps, leaving RCS unprotected was no longer sustainable. This isn’t Apple suddenly giving in to Android pressure—it’s Apple catching up to a security baseline that users already assume should be there.
Featured image credit: katemangostar via Freepik
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