Apple’s iOS 26.5 rollout brings RCS end‑to‑end encryption to the Messages app, extending the same protection iMessage users have always enjoyed to green‑bubble chats. The feature lands in beta and is enabled by default, but it only works when both sender and recipient are on carriers that support encrypted RCS. Users can toggle the setting in Settings → Apps → Messages → RCS Messaging.

To confirm encryption, open Settings and ensure the ‘End‑to‑End Encryption’ toggle is on. That alone doesn’t guarantee protection; each conversation shows a lock icon at the top when encrypted, but older threads may not display it reliably. A quicker method is to tap the contact’s name, scroll to the bottom of the details view, and read the status line that declares whether the chat is encrypted.

Because encryption depends on carrier support at both ends, users may see mixed results across their contact list. Apple provides a list of compatible carriers, and as more networks adopt the protocol, the green‑bubble experience will approach iMessage’s security baseline. For now, checking the status message is the most reliable way to verify protection on any RCS thread.