After more than a year of promises, end-to-end encrypted RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages are finally available on both Android and iPhone users as part of a beta. The move locks down chats no matter which platform you’re on, although you’ll need to meet certain conditions.
You’ll need the newly released iOS 26.5 update if you’re on an iPhone, and the latest version of Google Messages if you use Android. Your carrier will also need to support RCS encryption. Many popular networks worldwide are ready as of this writing, but you’ll want to check Apple’s compatibility list first. In the U.S., the following carriers have enabled the feature on launch:
- AT&T
- Boost Mobile
- C-Spire
- Cellcom Wisconsin
- Consumer Cellular
- Cox Mobile
- Cricket
- Family Mobile
- FirstNet
- Metro by T-Mobile
- Mint Mobile
- Nex-Tech Wireless
- PureTalk
- Red Pocket
- Spectrum
- Strata
- T-Mobile
- TracFone / Straight Talk
- Ultra Mobile
- US Cellular
- Verizon
- Visible
- Xfinity Mobile
Regardless of the platform you use, you’ll know if a chat is encrypted when you see a lock icon. The feature is enabled by default and will apply to existing RCS message threads.
Why is end-to-end encrypted RCS so important?
The perks of RCS with better security
End-to-end RCS encryption has been available to Android users for years (since 2020), but it was platform-specific. Apple added RCS support in September 2024, but only for unencrypted chats. In other words, you could only have RCS’ advantages (such as enhanced media sharing, read receipts, and advanced group chats) if you were willing to risk outsiders intercepting your texts.
Cross-platform encrypted RCS ensures that your conversations are secure no matter which device you use. As it’s built into the default messaging app for both Android and iOS, you also don’t have to ask friends to install third-party software like Signal or WhatsApp. That could make it easier to switch devices or services in the future.
RCS Is a Walled Garden, Just Like iMessage
But it doesn’t have to be.
This also reduces a certain amount of device lock-in. Some iPhone users choose the platform precisely because of iMessage, which has offered encryption and other enhancements since its 2010 debut. They can now leave without giving up some of that functionality, although they’ll still risk leaving some conversations behind.
On Android, there’s less chance that you’ll feel like you’re missing out. So long as you’ve been included in a chat from the start, encrypted RCS will keep your conversations private while giving you iMessage-style features. If you switch to an iPhone, your chats will be as rich as they were before.
There are concerns that RCS still creates a walled garden, as the dependence on Google’s implementation effectively rules out third-party Android texting apps. However, it does provide an option that wasn’t there before, and might be vital if you want to know that your messages are secure as a matter of course.
