Apple's iOS 26.5 beta brings back a privacy feature it keeps pulling away

Apple first promised encrypted RCS messaging over a year ago, and iPhone users texting Android friends have been waiting ever since. Today's iOS 26.5 beta suggests the wait isn't over yet, but the finish line might finally be in sight.

RCS encryption returns to testing in iOS 26.5

With today's release of iOS 26.5 Beta 1, Apple has brought back the end-to-end encryption (E2EE) toggle for RCS messages. You can find it under Settings > Messages > RCS Messaging, and just like before, it's turned on by default.

If you recall, this same feature appeared during the iOS 26.4 beta cycle earlier this year. Apple tested it between iPhones first, then expanded testing to iPhone-Android conversations in the second beta. But when iOS 26.4 shipped to the public last week, the feature was stripped out entirely.

Now it's back, and the fact that Apple keeps reintroducing it suggests a public launch could actually be close this time. Encrypted conversations will show a lock icon, so you'll know when your messages are protected. That said, it's still limited to certain devices and carriers during testing.

Why this matters more than you think

Here's the thing most people don't realize: right now, every RCS text you send between an iPhone and an Android phone can theoretically be intercepted. iMessage conversations between iPhones have been encrypted since 2011. Android-to-Android RCS chats through Google Messages? Also encrypted. But the moment you cross that platform divide, your messages are exposed.

End-to-end encryption means only you and the person you're texting can read the conversation. Not your carrier, not Apple, not Google. The technology powering this is called MLS (Messaging Layer Security), and it's part of the GSMA's RCS Universal Profile 3.0 standard that was published last year.

Apple's pace is becoming hard to defend

Apple announced encrypted RCS support in March 2025. Signs of it appeared in iOS 26.3 betas back in January. We're now almost in April 2026, and it's still not in a single public release.

Google had encrypted RCS between Android devices years ago. The standard exists, the protocol is ready, and Apple has clearly been testing it for months.

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