The Circuitry
THE CIRCUITRYYour one-stop source for all tech news
HOMETODAYNEWSFEEDEVENTS
BOOKMARKS
RSS
© 2026 The Circuitry
About UsSourcesContactCorrectionsPrivacy
  • Today
  • Feed
  • Events
  • Saved
Scroll for more
Verification
VERIFIEDConfidence: HIGH
Source identified
Claims cross-referenced
No discrepancies found
Sourcing
1source

via 9to5Mac

9to5Mac · track record
55Stories
100%Verified
1530d
All sources →
Markets
AAPL···

Live quote · not investment advice

Home/Tech/Apple Confirms RCS End-to-End Encryption in iOS 26.5 Messages App
VERIFIEDBy Xavier Rivera· ·1 min read

Apple Confirms RCS End-to-End Encryption in iOS 26.5 Messages App

Apple has confirmed that iOS 26.5 will add end-to-end encryption to RCS messaging in the Messages app. This will make cross-platform conversations between iPhone and Android users more secure and private.

Source:9to5Mac
Post
Apple Confirms RCS End-to-End Encryption in iOS 26.5 Messages App
TL;DRAI · 60 sec read

Apple confirms end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging in iOS 26.5 Messages app via release candidate notes, now available. The beta feature, tested in betas and removed from iOS 26.4, works with supported carriers and ships in the final update next week. Apple lists carriers soon. This secures iPhone-Android chats with iMessage-like features.

Apple will ship end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in iOS 26.5, the company confirms in the release notes attached to the update's release candidate, which is out now.

The encryption arrives as a beta, gated by carrier support. Apple's notes describe the feature as rolling out over time on supported carriers, and the company plans to publish a carrier compatibility list before the update's public release — expected next week, 9to5Mac reports.

The feature survived a cut that removed it from iOS 26.4. Encrypted RCS appeared in 26.4's betas but was pulled before that release shipped. Its uninterrupted run through the 26.5 beta cycle had signaled Apple intended to ship it this time — the release notes now make that official.
Why it matters: RCS is the protocol behind modern iPhone-to-Android texting. Until now those conversations lacked the end-to-end encryption iMessage users get by default; iOS 26.5 closes that gap where carriers support it.
Why this mattersAI · ~100 words

Tap a lens to see what this story means for you.

Reader-supported
DonateBuy me a coffee →Follow@thecircuitry_ →Follow@thecircuitry.to →

Reader-supported · Daily Brief

Daily brief at 7 AM ET. Top tech stories, every morning. Sourced and fact-checked.

HELP US IMPROVE
From The Circuitry

See what’s happening right now

The Feed runs all day — short, verified briefs the moment they break.

Open the Feed →
From The Circuitry

Follow @thecircuitry_

Every story we publish, as it happens. No noise between.

Follow on X ↗On Bluesky ↗

Reader-supported

The Circuitry is a passion project I've always wanted to build, and I love the work behind it.

Running it costs real money. APIs, hosting, time. To keep improving the site and growing this into something useful for everyone, those costs have to be covered.

Any contribution is appreciated. If not, no pressure. Thanks for reading.

Buy me a coffee
AppleiOSRCS
More from9to5Mac
  • App Store Connect experiences performance problems for certain developers

    Tech · 2d
  • Italy opens EU DMA probe into Apple iCloud preferencing

    Tech · 9d
  • WWDC 2026 announcements include new Siri AI and iOS 27

    Tech · 14d
More inTech
  • ON Semiconductor Strikes $7 Billion All-Stock Deal for Synaptics

    Tech · 11h
  • Trump administration asks OpenAI to stagger GPT-5.6 rollout

    Tech · 12h
  • Zoox Launches Updated Purpose-Built Robotaxi

    Tech · 12h
SupportThe Work

The Circuitry is reader-supported. If you find the daily brief useful, you can buy me a coffee to keep it going.

Buy a coffee →
SubscribeCircuitry Brief

Daily brief at 7 AM ET. Top tech stories, every morning.

MORE IN TECH

ON Semiconductor Strikes $7 Billion All-Stock Deal for Synaptics

ON Semiconductor agreed to acquire Synaptics in a nearly $7 billion all-stock transaction that accelerates its physical AI expansion and lifts its total addressable market to $243 billion by 2030. The deal, the company's largest to date, is slated to close in mid-2027 amid a surge in AI-related buyouts industrywide.

Trump administration asks OpenAI to stagger GPT-5.6 rollout

The Trump administration has reportedly asked OpenAI to stagger the release of GPT-5.6 in limited preview form to select enterprise customers, with the government approving access on a case-by-case basis. The move is described as more favorable than the export-control directive imposed on Anthropic earlier this month and highlights uneven federal oversight of frontier AI models.

Zoox Launches Updated Purpose-Built Robotaxi

Zoox unveiled an updated version of its purpose-built robotaxi with lighter interior colors, refined seating, improved visibility features, and enhanced audio capabilities based on rider feedback from half a million rides. The changes aim to deliver greater comfort and simplicity while the Amazon-backed company advances its fully driverless ride-hailing service.