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iOS 26.5’s Messages app has RCS end-to-end encryption in beta

Avatar for Ryan Christoffel  | Mar 30 2026 - 1:31 pm PT
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iOS 26.5 beta 1 is now available for developers, with a new Apple Maps feature, hints of a new in-app subscription option, but no signs of Siri upgrades. iOS 26.5 also gives Messages support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging.

RCS messaging again supports E2EE in iOS 26.5 beta 1

During the iOS 26.4 beta cycle, Apple let users test out RCS messaging with end-to-end encryption (E2EE). From the very first beta though, Apple was clear that E2EE for RCS was only being tested in iOS 26.4 but wouldn’t actually ship until a future 26.x release.

Now, with iOS 26.5 beta 1, end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging has returned.

And all signs indicate it’s likely to stick around in the shipping version this time around.

Inside Settings ⇾ Apps ⇾ Messages ⇾ RCS Messaging, iOS 26.5 users will see a new ‘End-to-End Encryption (Beta)’ toggle. It has the following description.

End-to-end encryption is in beta and is not available for all devices or carriers. Conversations labeled as encrypted are encrypted end-to-end, so messages can’t be read while they’re sent between devices.

End-to-end encryption for RCS is enabled by default in iOS 26.5 beta 1.

Top comment by BlueLamp

Liked by 5 people

With the encrypted messages, will Apple bring like RCS 3.0 or later or still stick to the 2.4?

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And this time around, there’s no mention in Apple’s release notes of it not shipping in the public build.

With iOS 26.4 beta 1, Apple was clear: “This feature is not shipping in this release and will be available to customers in a future software update.” But there’s no such disclaimer in iOS 26.5’s developer notes.

It’s always possible Apple might pull it from future betas, but for now at least, it seems like when iOS 26.5 ships, it will probably bring end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging with it.

Have you been testing out RCS end-to-end encrypted messaging? If so, how has it worked for you? Let us know in the comments.

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Author

Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.