Apple and Google expand RCS security with encryption update

New Delhi: Google and Apple have recently rolled out their end-to-end encryption RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging for conversations between Android smartphones and iPhones, marking a major update for cross-platform messaging privacy.

Google officially announced the rollout via a post on its Keyword blog, stating that the feature is now being unveiled in beta for Android users by running the latest version of Google Messages and iPhone users by using iOS 26.5 on the supported carriers.

RCS is now widely seen as the successor to traditional SMS messaging, offering features such as typing indicators, read receipts, improved group chats, and support for sharing high-quality media files. Currently, chats exchanged between Android and iPhone users over RCS do not support end-to-end encryption.

Google stated those conversations will now be encrypted by default, preventing messages from being read while they are transmitted between devices.

Android users will see the same lock icon already used for encrypted RCS conversations in Google Messages. Added that encryption support will gradually become available for both latest and existing RCS chats. It worked with Apple and other players in the mobile industry to bring encryption support to the RCS standard. The move is part of a broader effort to improve privacy and security for cross-platform messaging.

Google Messages has supported end-to-end encryption for RCS chats between Android devices for several years. This latest rollout expands the same protection to conversations involving iPhones.

This feature is currently rolling out in beta; Android users need the latest version of Google Messages, while iPhone users must upgrade to iOS 26.5 and use carriers that support the feature. Encrypted RCS messaging will continue to be extended gradually over the coming weeks as support reaches more users and devices.