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iOS 26.5: Encrypted SMS to Android — But With a Catch

Apple has finally enabled end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between iPhone and Android. The feature is marked as beta, enabled by default, and depends on carrier support — meaning millions of users may have received a lock icon in their chat that could be just decoration.

Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik

By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik

May 12, 2026 · 2 min read

iOS 26.5: Encrypted SMS to Android — But With a Catch
Ілюстративне фото: Depositphotos

On May 11, Apple released iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 — after six weeks of beta testing and nearly two months since the previous major release. The update is not extensive, but one feature raises a question that the manufacturer is currently avoiding: is your chat with Android actually secure?

A lock in the chat — and a "beta" label

The main novelty of iOS 26.5 is end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and Android. Apple announced this feature back in March 2025, and now it's finally in the public release — but with a beta label.

The feature is enabled by default. You can find it in Settings → Messages → RCS Messaging → End-to-End Encryption (Beta). When encryption is active for a specific chat, a lock icon appears at the top — visible to both conversation participants, including the Android side.

E2EE for RCS requires both conversation participants to use a carrier that supports the feature — and carriers will be onboarded gradually.

Apple, iOS 26.5 release notes

In other words, a lock at the top of the chat is not yet a guarantee: even if your carrier is already on the list of supported ones, Apple warns that rollout will happen gradually over the coming months and will not be available to all subscribers simultaneously.

What else changed

  • Maps — "Suggested Places": a new section in the Maps app shows recommendations based on geolocation and recent searches. According to MacRumors, iOS 26.5 lays the technical foundation for advertising in Maps, which will appear in the summer.
  • Pride Luminance wallpapers: Apple added a new wallpaper option that matches the design of the Apple Watch Pride Luminance watch face and band.
  • Security: the update closes a number of vulnerabilities; in parallel, Apple released patches for older systems — iOS 15.8.8, iOS 16.7.16, iOS 18.7.9, and iPadOS 17.7.11.

Context: iOS 26.5 — possibly the last major point before WWDC

According to the MacRumors Forums community assessment, iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 are likely to be among the last updates with new features in the current cycle: already next month, Apple will announce iOS 27 at WWDC. This explains why even the immature RCS E2EE feature made it into the release with a "beta" label — it's better to show progress before the conference than to postpone it for another year.

The question that remains open is: if most carriers fail to enable E2EE support before WWDC — will Apple present iOS 27 with "improved" RCS encryption that actually hasn't worked yet for the vast majority of users?

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May 26, 2026