Apple pushed out iOS 26.3 Beta 2 on Monday, and according to a tweet from Tiino-X83 on X, the latest Beta release reveals that Apple will soon offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Rich Communication Services (RCS) messages. The tweet says that the new release has references to new carrier bundle settings. These are small carrier configuration files that tell your iPhone how to connect with your wireless provider. The new settings will allow carriers to enable E2EE for RCS.
The new code that allows E2EE with RCS has been found for only four carriers so far
The tweet from Tiino-X83 notes that the new code has only been seen in the individual carrier settings files for four French carriers (Bouygues, Orange, SFR and Free). These files are found inside the iOS filesystem on iOS 26.3 Beta 2. The tweet importantly notes that "no other carrier, regardless of the country" has these bundle settings inside an iPhone.
Have you installed iOS 26.3 Beta 2?
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Even though the new carrier bundle settings are mentioned in the latest iOS 26.3 Beta 2 release, there is no guarantee that when stable iOS 26.3 is released, E2EE will be available on RCS. Apple could merely be laying the railroad tracks for the RCS-E2EE train with iOS 26.3 and the capability actually won't be available until a future version of iOS is released.
Tweet translated to English reveals that iOS 26.3 Beta 2 hints that E2EE is coming for RCS. | Image credit-PhoneArena
This is how you will know if you have E2EE enabled on RCS
If the new line of code in the carrier configuration file that surfaces in iOS 26.3 Beta 2 is set to "true," the Messages app will try to perform an encrypted handshake with the recipient's phone using the GSMA Universal Profile (UP) 3.0 standard. That is the version of the UP that offers E2EE. Currently, Apple is using UP 2.4.
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Apple releases iOS 26.3 Beta 2. | Image credit-PhoneArena
You'll know if you have E2EE on your RCS platform because the text input box will say RCS Chat instead of just "RCS" or "Text Message." Also, a small Lock Icon will appear on the "Send" button or next to the message status, similar to Google Messages.
f you are an iOS 26 Beta tester, go to Settings > General > Software Update and if you see the prompt, follow the directions to install iOS 26.3 Beta 2. The stable version of iOS 26.3 could be released by the end of the month. That would be followed by iOS 26.4 Beta 1 which might include some of the features of Personal Siri and LLM Siri that we have been eagerly waiting for.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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