Update Your iPhone Now for Better Encrypted Messaging With Android

Last year’s rollout of iOS 26 was striking, with the translucent Liquid Glass aesthetic. Apple has since iterated on its smartphone’s software, though some users continue to voice their displeasure. If you’ve held out, this latest version—iOS 26.5—includes a new feature that’s worth updating your smartphone for right now: end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging.

Apple rolled out the latest version of its iPhone operating system on Monday. Now, if an iPhone owner sends or receives green bubbles, aka RCS texts, in Apple’s Messages app with an Android owner, those chats may be encrypted. “Conversations labeled as encrypted are encrypted end-to-end, so messages can’t be read while they’re sent between devices,” reads an early version of the settings page. Apple is launching this feature as a beta, and its current availability depends on your device and carrier.

Texts between Apple devices in the Messages app, aka iMessages, have been encrypted since launch, but chats with Android devices were not protected in the same way. Apple recently upgraded non-iMessages from SMS to RCS and modernized the backend—enabling richer features when texting anyone on Android, like higher-resolution images, read receipts, and typing indicators—but these chats still lacked encryption options. The iOS 26.5 upgrade fixes this with cross-platform encryption in the iPhone’s default texting app.

How Do I Know If It’s On?

After you update your iPhone, the setting should be enabled by default if it’s available on your device and carrier. Check by opening your Settings app, then going to the Apps and Messages tabs. Scroll down until you see RCS Messaging under the Text Messaging options and click on it. This is the page where you can see if the beta version of end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging is on—the toggle will show green if it’s enabled.

Now, you can check what type of chat a conversation is by opening your Messages app and locating the gray text displayed in that text box at the bottom of the screen. It’ll either read iMessage, Text Message – RCS, or Text Message – SMS. You may see a small lock icon as part of the message thread when starting a new RCS conversation after this update. Conversations labeled as “SMS” will not be changed.

RCS messaging is not available for every carrier, though the major US carriers—like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T—all support the texting protocol. Not sure if yours is covered? Check out Apple’s support page for a full list of feature availability by carrier.

What Else Is New Here?

The other changes in iOS 26.5 are fairly minor. Based on details from the beta release, ads are likely to start appearing in the Maps app as search suggestions when you look up a restaurant or someplace else. Changes to the Maps app also include the addition of “Suggested Places,” which recommend spots to hit up based on your searches and nearby trends. The latest iOS also includes Pride-themed wallpapers, since June is right around the corner.

While it’s worth updating your iPhone to iOS 26.5 for the more secure messaging features, more sweeping changes to the smartphone software will arrive in the fall. Apple, if it follows the pattern of past releases, is expected to unveil the fully revamped version, iOS 27, in June at its WWDC developer conference, making the update available for everyone to download later this year.