Update Your iPhone Now for Better Encrypted Messaging With Android

Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Last year’s rollout of i OS 26 was striking, with the translucent Liquid Glass aesthetic. Apple has since iterated on its smartphone’s software, though some users continue to voice their displeasure. If you’ve held out, this latest version—i OS 26.5—includes a new feature that’s worth updating your smartphone for right now: end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging.

Apple rolled out the latest version of its iPhone operating system on Monday. Now, if an iPhone owner sends or receives green bubbles, aka RCS texts, in Apple’s Messages app with an Android owner, those chats may be encrypted. “Conversations labeled as encrypted are encrypted end-to-end, so messages can’t be read while they’re sent between devices,” reads an early version of the settings page. Apple is launching this feature as a beta, and its current availability depends on your device and carrier.

Texts between Apple devices in the Messages app, aka iMessages, have been encrypted since launch, but chats with Android devices were not protected in the same way. Apple recently upgraded non-iMessages from SMS to RCS and modernized the backend—enabling richer features when texting anyone on Android, like higher-resolution images, read receipts, and typing indicators—but these chats still lacked encryption options. The iOS 26.5 upgrade fixes this with cross-platform encryption in the iPhone’s default texting app.