If you have ever texted someone on Android and wondered why your messages do not have the same privacy protections as the ones you send to other iPhone users, iOS 26.5 is the update you have been waiting for. Apple has released iOS 26.5, and its headline feature is end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhones and Android devices.
What this actually means for you
Until now, messages between iPhones showed up as blue bubbles and were encrypted end-to-end, meaning nobody could read them in transit, not your carrier, not Apple, nobody. Messages sent to Android users showed up as green bubbles and went out as standard SMS or unencrypted RCS, with no such protection.
With iOS 26.5, that changes. Messages sent between an iPhone running iOS 26.5 and an Android user on the latest version of Google Messages can now be end-to-end encrypted using the RCS Universal Profile standard developed by the GSMA. When a conversation is encrypted, the iPhone Messages app will show a lock icon alongside the RCS indicator, so you will know at a glance whether your messages are protected.
Encryption is on by default and will be automatically enabled for both new and existing RCS conversations as the rollout progresses.
The catch is that it’s still in beta, and not everyone gets it at once
This feature is launching in beta, and there is an important caveat: it requires your carrier to support it. Apple’s release notes state it will “roll out over time,” which means even if you update to iOS 26.5 today, you may not see the lock icon appear in your Android chats straight away. Whether and when it appears depends on your carrier’s participation.
Apple and Google have been working on this together since at least February 2026, making it a cross-industry effort rather than something either company has done unilaterally. If your carrier is not yet on the supported list, check Apple’s support page for the latest carrier compatibility information.
Which iPhones can get iOS 26.5?
The update is available for all iPhones from the iPhone 11 onwards, covering everything released from 2019 to the current lineup, including the iPhone 17 series, iPhone Air, iPhone 17e, and the second- and third-generation iPhone SE models.
To update, go to Settings> General> Software Update. If iOS 26.5 is available for your device, it will appear there.
This has been a long time coming. Cross-platform messaging between iPhone and Android has been the one major gap in mobile privacy for years, and encrypted RCS closes it in a meaningful way. It is not a perfect rollout; the beta status and carrier dependency mean the experience will be uneven for a while, but the foundation is now in place.
If you and your friends or colleagues split between iPhone and Android, this update is worth installing.
Sources:
• 9to5Google — Encrypted RCS Android iPhone
• Forbes — Apple releases iOS 26.5
• Apple Newsroom — End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging begins rolling out
The story iOS 26.5 is out and it finally lets iPhone and Android users message each other securely as seen on Thaiger News.
