End-to-End Encrypted RCS Messages Referenced in Latest iOS 26.3 Beta
Apple appears close to supporting end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, almost a year after the GSM Association said it was working to implement the privacy feature for messages sent between Android and iPhone devices.
As shared by Tiino-X83 on X (Twitter), the latest iOS 26.3 beta includes references to a new carrier bundle setting that will let carriers enable and disable E2EE for RCS messages.
It's possible that the setting relates to making the encryption status of messages visible to the user, as per the GSMA standard's requirements. The requirement is stupulated because local regulations can prohibit E2EE for all users, and users must be notified of encryption status.
End-to-end encryption for RCS was announced in March 2025, as part of version 3.0 of the RCS Universal Profile. Apple said it planned to add support to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates, but the company has since been silent on the subject.
The carrier bundle references in the latest iOS 26.3 beta could be Apple laying the groundwork for future support, and are no guarantee that E2EE for RCS messages are coming with the software release. But they at least indicate that Apple is working to bring support at some point in the future.
RCS support as a whole was added to the iPhone with iOS 18, which supports RCS Universal Profile 2.4. It is effectively a modernized version of the SMS standard, which remains available as a fallback option for text messages over a cellular network.
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