- Apple is testing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS chats between iOS and Android in the latest iOS 26.4 Developer Beta 2 release.
- You can test the feature now on supported iPhones and carriers with the developer beta installed, and an Android phone with the Google Messages app beta.
- E2EE for cross-platform RCS chats will bring secure messaging to iPhone and Android users, preventing anyone from seeing your messages during the sending process.
Apple is about to make good on its promise to bring secure RCS messaging to conversations between iPhone and Android. Following the GSMA’s announcement of the Universal Profile 3.0 last March, the company vowed to bring end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging that supports both platforms. However, timetables were unclear. Apple started testing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS last month in beta, but only for iPhone-to-iPhone chats. Now, the latest iOS 26.4 Developer Beta 2 release adds support for RCS messaging between iPhone and Android devices with end-to-end encryption.
The GSMA’s RCS Universal Profile 3.0 uses Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol to bring end-to-end encryption to chats between different device clients. This would benefit any conversation between iPhone and Android, as iPhone to iPhone chats (via iMessage) and Android to Android chats (via RCS) are already end-to-end encrypted in certain situations. The RCS Universal Profile 3.0 will also upgrade Android messaging, as the current implementation leaves conversations without end-to-end encryption unless both the sender and recipient use a messaging client supporting the feature.
Source Androidauthority