Apple has quietly taken another step toward improving cross-platform messaging. With the release of the developer beta of iOS 26.4 on Monday, the company has started testing end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) rich communication services (RCS) messages.
The move signals progress on a feature Apple first said it would support last year. Once fully rolled out, it will allow iPhone and Android users to exchange encrypted RCS messages across platforms, something many users and privacy advocates have been waiting for.
For now, the encryption feature remains in early testing. Apple has now confirmed that only Apple devices with the beta version can use encrypted RCS messaging during this initial phase. This means Android users are not able to access the feature now.
Apple has announced that when iOS 26.4 is released to the public, it will not contain the feature. The end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging feature will be added in a future update.
RCS already improves the messaging experience between iPhone and Android devices with features like read receipts, typing indicators, and enhanced media sharing. However, end-to-end encryption was the missing element.
Why encryption matters
End-to-end encryption makes sure that only the sender and the receiver can read the messages. Even the service providers cannot read the messages. While Apple’s iMessage platform has long offered this level of security for conversations between Apple devices, RCS messages, especially those crossing between platforms, have not always had the same protection.
The GSM Association, which oversees the development of RCS standards, announced in September 2024 that adding end-to-end encryption would be part of the next major milestone for the RCS Universal Profile, a standard framework designed to enhance messaging capabilities across various devices and carriers. In March 2025, Apple confirmed it would support encrypted RCS across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in future updates.
More in iOS 26.4
In addition to the encrypted RCS testing, the initial iOS 26.4 developer beta brings another convenient update. The Podcasts app has been updated to enable users to switch between audio and video podcasts without any break.
While the encryption feature is still in progress, Apple’s latest beta shows that secure cross-platform messaging is moving closer to reality.
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