iMessages are end-to-end encrypted using on-device keys. Apple doesn't read iMessages, nor is it feasible for them to read iMessages en masse in their current setup, but it is possible for many users. If you use iCloud Backup, Apple could use—or governments can demand access to—your backup and messages database from iCloud and read your texts, unencrypted, because the backup stores the iMessage encryption keys (and if Messages in iCloud is disabled, the messages database).iMessages are encrypted and yet we can read them, can’t we?