Cross-platform RCS messaging between Android, including Samsung, and Apple iPhones is finally getting proper end-to-end encrypted privacy.

Apple and Google announced that encrypted RCS messaging is now rolling out in Beta for iPhone users running iOS 26.5 and Android, including Samsung Galaxy, users on the latest version of Google Messages.

Once enabled, messages sent between Galaxy phones and iPhones will be protected in transit, meaning nobody in the middle can read them.

For years, conversations with iPhone users often dropped back to old-school SMS behavior. Photos looked worse, reactions were messy, group chats broke easily, and privacy protections disappeared the moment a chat crossed platforms.

Users will now see a new lock icon inside supported RCS conversations, confirming that the chat is encrypted. The feature is enabled by default and will gradually expand to both new and existing conversations over time.

Google says encrypted RCS chats have already been available between Android devices for years through Google Messages. The bigger challenge was extending the same protection to iPhones.

Apple still says iMessage remains the best option for communication between Apple devices. But this update finally gives Android and Samsung users a more secure and modern experience when texting someone on an iPhone.

Now, Samsung users can send high-quality photos, reactions, read receipts, and encrypted messages to iPhones without relying on outdated SMS security.

The rollout is currently limited to beta users on iOS 26.5 with supported carriers, alongside Android users running the latest Google Messages app. A wider release is expected later.

The post Samsung users can now send encrypted RCS messages to iPhones appeared first on Sammy Fans.

Google had urged Apple for years to support RCS texting to make communication between each company's devices more seamless.

Apple has now publicly rolled out the iOS 26.5 update along with a host of other software updates for its sprawling ecosystem of devices, including iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, HomePod Software 26.5, and macOS Tahoe 26.5. The Apple iOS 26.5 update is a hefty file, one that is big on bug fixes but light on material feature upgrades Apple has now released the 11.98GB iOS 26.5 update file, bringing new wallpapers along with 2 feature upgrades: Elsewhere, the update brings fixes to over 50 security vulnerabilities in iOS 26.5 alone. Did Apple use Clause Mythos to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apple-ios-26-5-goes-live-a-12gb-download-file-minor-feature-upgrades-and-lots-of-bug-fixes/