iOS 26.5 Beta Continues RCS End-to-End Encryption Testing for iPhone and Android Messages

[MacRumors]

Apple tested end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages exchanged between iPhone and Android users in the iOS 26.4 beta, but Apple made it clear the functionality was not going to launch in the iOS 26.4 update.

E2EE for RCS was removed before iOS 26.4 was released, but the feature is back in the iOS 26.5 beta as Apple continues testing it.

In the Messages section of the Settings app, the End-to-End Encryption toggle is back in the RCS options, and like before, it is turned on by default.

End-to-end encryption ensures that messages sent between devices cannot be intercepted and read by a third party. Right now, RCS messages sent between Android and iPhone users do not have E2EE, but RCS messages between Android users do. iMessages exchanged between iPhone users have always had end-to-end encryption.

E2EE is in beta and is not available to all devices or carriers in iOS 26.5. Conversations that are encrypted have a lock symbol.

Article Link: iOS 26.5 Beta Continues RCS End-to-End Encryption Testing for iPhone and Android Messages

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

What a joke man

EDIT: I am obviously not talking about RCS here

 

[justanotherdave]

For the few people that will ever use it. The rest of the world has moved on and use WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal.

That whole “Apple should add RCS to iPhones” shame campaign Google ran sure backfired on them.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

For the few people that will ever use it. The rest of the world has moved on and use WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal.

That whole “Apple should add RCS to iPhones” shame campaign Google ran sure backfired on them.

For the "few people" meaning the majority of the US and Canada.

I don't know anyone using WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal on the regular, other than relatives that live in Germany.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

And they will pull it just before the official release, again.

 

[HouseLannister]

Apple announced this March last year. Just a glacial slow implementation. How much longer for edit or undo send to come to RCS on Apple?

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Apple announced this March last year. Just a glacial slow implementation. How much longer for edit or undo send to come to RCS on Apple?

EVERYTHING from Apple is a product of glacial slow implementation. Rumors now an OLED iMac may show up in 2030.

 

[justanotherdave]

For the "few people" meaning the majority of the US and Canada.

I don't know anyone using WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal on the regular, other than relatives that live in Germany.

Usage numbers from those services say otherwise. You don’t speak for everyone just because you don’t use it.

 

[CarAnalogy]

For the "few people" meaning the majority of the US and Canada.

I don't know anyone using WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal on the regular, other than relatives that live in Germany.

I'll never understand the people that come out of the woodwork advocating moving communications under the control of these companies. And then acting like using a system run by the telcos or Apple is crazy.

 

[mulatosnarf]

How dare they support a feature widely used on two continents

 

[mulatosnarf]

I'll never understand the people that come out of the woodwork advocating moving communications under the control of these companies. And then acting like using a system run by the telcos or Apple is crazy.

Yup, lunacy.

 

[CarAnalogy]

And they will pull it just before the official release, again.

Even on release I imagine there will be limited support for quite some time.

This requires telco cartel cooperation. And since there's no financial incentive for them, it may or may not ever be implemented.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Usage numbers from those services say otherwise. You don’t speak for everyone just because you don’t use it.

...Do you see the irony here?

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Usage numbers from those services say otherwise. You don’t speak for everyone just because you don’t use it.

LOL! Says the guy that claims the "rest of the world" doesn't use native messaging apps and has moved on to 3rd party apps!! Who's speaking for everyone now?

FWIW, I don't use any of the apps you mentioned either unless I'm messaging a friend or relative traveling abroad, and even then, I could care less about E2E encryption.

 

[svish]

Good to see this but will take a long time before carriers across the world support it.

 

[Jay Bly]

Well, it’s an update

 

[Al3c18]

For the "few people" meaning the majority of the US and Canada.

I don't know anyone using WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal on the regular, other than relatives that live in Germany.

Actually it's something I've noticed a lot in the USA and Canada, in Europe I can tell you that most of the messages like a good 80% are on WhatsApp and Telegram, rarely use iMessage or RCS, almost never.

 

[bluecoast]

In the UK, iPhones and Android phones are about 50/50.

So this will be useful.

If it wasn't for the case that WhatsApp is (sadly) the lingua franca of messaging apps here.

 

[Kottu]

The EU pushed Apple to support RCS—but what’s the point if carriers across Europe don’t enable RCS on iPhones?

 

[Al3c18]

The EU pushed Apple to support RCS—but what’s the point if carriers across Europe don’t enable RCS on iPhones?

The EU does so many useless things without a real reason, this is part of its war of principle against Apple

 

[Omega V]

In the UK, iPhones and Android phones are about 50/50.

So this will be useful.

If it wasn't for the case that WhatsApp is (sadly) the lingua franca of messaging apps here.

Instagram to remove end-to-end encryption for private messages in May

Meta’s announcement comes after years of criticism from child safety groups over feature

www.theguardian.com

I actually think WhatsApp is going to stop using end-to-end encryption soon, probably before 2027.

This may not matter to a lot of people but it matters to some of us at least. I use Signal as much as possible but unfortunately I can only it use it with a handful of people (less than 4). I do use iMessage for around 90% of my messaging, then WhatsApp for about 9% then Signal for the final 1% but I live in the U.S. also.

The reason I stated I see WhatsApp stopping end-to-end encryption soon is due to Meta, which owns Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, is going to stop using end-to-end encryption on May 8th in Instagram.

This makes me fully believe that Meta will then stop using end-to-end encryption in Messenger and then ultimately in WhatsApp because I don't see Zuckerberg or Meta allowing end-to-end encryption to stop in only the Instagram app. Meta will just use the same reasoning they use for Instagram for Messenger and WhatsApp. So many people are use to using these apps for messaging that it's something I believe Meta will get away with unfortunately. The majority of people are not going to freakout and move to Signal or other secure messaging apps, you're talking over a billion+ people that use these messaging apps combined.

Hope it doesn't happen but I can already see it coming and fast. So I fully believe that RCS end-to-end encryption is the best option for the majority of people but getting the average person to change is going to be a mountain to climb.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Usage numbers from those services say otherwise. You don’t speak for everyone just because you don’t use it.

The numbers say that 20% of the USA is using WhatsApp, and the other two are sub 10%. That's a bit far from "everyone".

 

[dwaite]

The EU pushed Apple to support RCS—but what’s the point if carriers across Europe don’t enable RCS on iPhones?

China pushed for RCS, AFAIK.

They likely did not push for E2E encrypted RCS, though.

 

[dwaite]

For those who are unaware, Google runs RCS on behalf of many telcos as a service as part of their Jibe aquisition. Google also implemented E2EE as a bespoke feature of their server and their clients - and rejected access to third party clients. This means that the vast majority of RCS messages flow through Google infrastructure, and currently Apple can only support RCS messages being visible to Google.

Apple assisted in adding "real" E2EE support to RCS as part of Universal Profile 3.0. AFAICT, the reason this is being exposed for testing and held back for release is that neither Google nor telcos are ready yet.

 

[Black_Mage]

For the few people that will ever use it. The rest of the world has moved on and use WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal.

About that..... https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/n...atsapp-accounts-targeted-in-phishing-campaign