Encrypted RCS between iPhone and Android: what it means for Mac users

On 11 May 2026, Apple and Google each announced that end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging had begun rolling out in beta between iPhones and Android phones. If you own an Android phone and a Mac, it changes how safe your chats with iPhone friends can be, when both sides and both carriers support it. It does not change what your Mac can do with texts. Apple's Messages app on a Mac still needs an iPhone for SMS, MMS, and RCS, so replying from the Mac still runs through Google Messages for web.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What exactly changed?

Per Apple's announcement and Google's post, both dated 11 May 2026:

• It is a beta.
• iPhones need iOS 26.5 and a supported carrier. Android phones need "the latest version of Google Messages."
• Encryption "is on by default and will be automatically enabled over time for new and existing RCS conversations."
• An encrypted chat shows a lock icon.
• Both companies describe it as the result of a cross-industry effort between them.

Apple's RCS support page, published the same day, says the feature "will roll out over time" and that availability "varies by region and carrier." Neither company names countries or carriers in its announcement; Apple points to a support page of carriers. We did not read that carrier list, so check it for yours.

Google's post adds that Google Messages "has had end-to-end encrypted messaging between Android devices for years." What is new is the iPhone side.

What does it not change?

• Not iMessage. Apple calls iMessage the best option between Apple devices and says it has always been end-to-end encrypted. RCS with Android is a separate system. See Does Android have iMessage?.
• Not every chat. Apple's iMessage, RCS, and SMS/MMS page says RCS messages "can be end-to-end encrypted when all participants have carriers that support encryption", and that a conversation without the "Encrypted" lock indicator is not protected from third-party reading in transit.
• Not SMS or MMS. Google's encryption page says "End-to-end encryption isn't available for SMS/MMS messages." If a chat falls back to SMS, it is not encrypted.
• Not your Mac's Messages app. Apple's Mac guide says RCS from the Mac needs an iPhone.

One loose end: Google's RCS FAQ still has a heading saying chats with iPhone users "don't have end-to-end encryption". That wording predates the announcement and we have seen no update, so take the announcement and the lock icon as the guide.

What does it mean for a Mac plus Android person?

Three practical things.

1. Update Google Messages on the phone, because Google names the latest version as the requirement.
2. Look for the lock in chats with iPhone users. No lock means no encryption, whatever the settings say.
3. Your Mac route is the same. You read and send texts on the Mac through Google Messages for web. Google's help pages we read do not say whether web chats show encryption status, so we make no claim about it. Check the conversation view yourself.

For background on RCS itself, see what RCS is and RCS messages on a Mac.

Where does The Relay fit?

It does not touch your messaging encryption. The Relay is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial. Its texts and one-time codes feature shows an SMS on the Mac as it arrives on the phone and copies a login code in it to the clipboard. It does not send texts. We make no claims about RCS support in it. For privacy details, see the privacy policy.

Questions people ask

Is my chat with an iPhone friend encrypted now?

Only if you both have the requirements and you see the lock. Apple says it is on by default and rolling out over time, in beta.

Do I need a new phone?

Neither company's announcement says so. Android needs the latest Google Messages. The iPhone needs iOS 26.5 and a supported carrier.

Will it work on my Mac?

Your Mac does not take part directly. Messages on the Mac handles SMS and RCS only with an iPhone. Android users reach their texts through Google Messages for web.