Apple’s next big iPhone update will add a major privacy feature for Android users. What to expect as iOS 26.5 release date nears
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is just one month away. That event will see Apple launch the next iterations of the software that powers its various devices, including i OS 27 for the i Phone. But Apple will also be rolling out a new version of i OS before then, and it will feature an enhancement that will benefit Android users as much as Apple’s own. Here’s what you need to know. i OS 26.5 brings encrypted RCS messaging to i Phone Apple’s i Message protocol has long had end-to-end encryption for texts sent between Apple devices. But for texts sent between Android phones and iPhones, encryption has always been absent. And that wasn’t the fault of Apple or Android maker Google. It’s because, for years, the messages sent between the platforms were standard SMS, which lacked modern features such as read receipts and, more importantly, end-to-end encryption. Back in iOS 18, Apple added support for a new kind of text message protocol, called Rich Communication Service—better known by its acronym, RCS. This new RCS protocol brought read receipts, typing indicators, and more to standard text messages, greatly improving interactivity in messaging between iPhone and Android devices. Unfortunately, the way the RCS protocol has been implemented on iOS since then has meant that one of the protocol’s core benefits—end-to-end encryption—has not been adopted. But with iOS 26.5, that changes. Now, provided your carrier supports end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging, RCS texts sent between iPhones and Android devices on the same network will be unreadable to anyone but the sender and receiver—even Apple and your cellular service provider. What iPhones will support RCS end-to-end encryption? In the iOS 26.5 beta release notes, Apple states that new end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging will be in beta and work with “supported carriers” and “roll out over time.” The company points users to this support document, which lists which carriers support RCS messaging. In addit