iOS 26.5: How To Make The Most Of Apple’s New iPhone Messaging Upgrade

InnovationConsumer TechiOS 26.5: How To Make The Most Of Apple’s New iPhone Messaging UpgradeByDavid Phelan,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about lifestyle techFollow AuthorMay 18, 2026, 07:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.The padlock shows your messages in this conversation are encrypted.AppleThe latest iPhone update, iOS 26.5, has just been released. The headline feature is the introduction of default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for messages exchanged between iPhones and Android phones for the first time. Here is exactly how it works and how to know when your text conversations are fully protected.ForbesiPhone 18 To Drop Qualcomm After 15 Years For Apple’s New Custom 5G ModemBy David PhelanE2EE RCS Messaging In BetaEnd-to-end encrypted messaging applies to messages coming from, or going to, Android phones in the RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol. When RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted, they can’t be read while they’re sent between devices.This is new and comes about because iOS 26.5 includes RCS 3.0 for the first time. “Apple and Google have led a cross-industry effort to bring end-to-end encryption to Rich Communication Services (RCS), making the cross-platform messaging format that replaces traditional SMS more secure and private,” Apple said in a Newsroom post.Four Things To NoteFirst, messages sent between iPhones — the ones which show up as blue bubbles, not green — are automatically encrypted. MORE FOR YOUSecond, the new messaging is still in beta, and only works if your carrier and the other party’s carrier support it, which may not happen immediately. Third, you need to be on iOS 26.5 for E2EE to work on cross-platform messaging. Android users need to be on the latest version of Google Messages. And fourth, E2EE is on by default, so you don’t need to switch it on. However, you can verif...