End-to-end encrypted messaging between iPhone and Android is now rolling out. Google announced today that the feature is available in beta for iPhone users running iOS 26.5 with supported carriers and Android users on the latest version of Google Messages.
This closes a security gap that has existed since Apple adopted RCS with iOS 18 in September 2024. Until now, cross-platform RCS conversations supported typing indicators, read receipts, and high-resolution media sharing, but the messages themselves traveled unprotected. If you wanted encryption while texting someone on a different platform, you had to use a third-party app like Signal or WhatsApp.
How It Works
The encryption is built on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol, an open standard overseen by the Internet Engineering Task Force. The GSMA published the specification as part of RCS Universal Profile 3.0 in March 2025, after collaboration between mobile operators, device manufacturers, and both Apple and Google.
According to GSMA Technical Director Tom Van Pelt, this makes RCS "the first large-scale messaging service to support interoperable E2EE between client implementations from different providers." The spec handles client encryption and decryption, syncs MLS groups with RCS chats, manages error handling, and coordinates key delivery between different service providers.
On iPhones, encrypted conversations display a lock icon alongside the text "RCS | Encrypted" at the top of the chat. Google Messages shows the same lock indicator it already uses for Android-to-Android conversations.
The Catch: Carrier Support
Updating your phone isn't enough. For encryption to activate, both participants must be on carriers that support the latest RCS version. Apple's release notes explicitly state that the feature "is available with supported carriers and will roll out over time." Only a limited set of carriers qualifies at launch.
Apple labels the feature as "beta" even in the public iOS 26.5 release. The company first tested encrypted RCS in the iOS 26.4 beta earlier this year but pulled it before that version shipped publicly. It returned in iOS 26.5 betas and remained stable through the testing cycle.
The setting is on by default. iPhone users can verify it at Settings, then Messages, then RCS Messaging, where a toggle for "End-to-End Encryption (Beta)" should be enabled. Android users simply need the latest Google Messages version.
What Remains
Encryption is the headline, but cross-platform RCS still lags behind what each platform offers natively. RCS Universal Profile 3.0 introduced editing and deleting messages, cross-platform Tapback reactions, and inline replies within threads. Some of these features remain inconsistent between platforms.
The GSMA has already published Universal Profile 3.1, finalized in July 2025, which adds high-quality voice messaging and improved network reliability. Universal Profile 4.0, finalized this past February, introduces interoperable video calling for up to 32 participants directly from native messaging apps.
For now, the practical impact is simpler: a conversation between an iPhone and an Android phone can be private without requiring both people to download Signal. That's been a missing piece since mobile messaging began. Green bubbles will remain green. The security posture behind them just changed.
The rollout depends on how quickly carriers certify the updated RCS infrastructure. Users on major U.S. carriers should see the feature soon; those in regions with slower carrier adoption may wait longer. Apple has committed to bringing the same encryption to iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in future updates.
