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Apple, Google drag cross-service texting into the encrypted age
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After years of stopping dead at the green bubble border, iPhone and Android users can finally send E2EE messages without relying on third-party apps.
Key facts
- Apple announced this week that encrypted Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging is rolling out in beta for iPhone users running iOS 26.5 and Android users on the latest version of Google Messages
- Google had offered encrypted RCS chats inside Google Messages for years, but only when both sides used Google's ecosystem
- Users will know it's enabled when a lock icon appears in RCS conversations
- After years of stopping dead at the green bubble border, iPhone and Android users can finally send E2EE messages without relying on third-party apps
Summary
Apple and Google have taken a big step toward securing cross-platform texting, ending years of messages bouncing around in glorified plaintext. Apple announced this week that encrypted Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging is rolling out in beta for iPhone users running iOS 26.5 and Android users on the latest version of Google Messages. Users will know it's enabled when a lock icon appears in RCS conversations. Apple, meanwhile, appears content to lean harder into the privacy angle, finally plugging one of the more obvious holes in modern messaging security.