Apple released iOS 26.5 on Monday, enabling beta end-to-end encryption for RCS chats between iPhone and Android users. The feature is on by default but depends on carrier and region, with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon supporting it in the U.S. Encrypted chats show a lock icon, but green bubbles remain unchanged. Apple still labels the encryption as beta and not all chats are guaranteed to be protected.