iOS 26.4 beta 2 has been released for developers, with expanded support for testing encrypted RCS messaging on iPhone.
When iOS 26.4 beta 1 was launched last week, it introduced early support for testing RCS encryption, limited to iPhone-to-iPhone messaging. However, in iOS 26.4 beta 2, this support now extends to messaging between iPhone and Android devices.
Support for testing RCS encryption is gradually rolling out to iPhone users on iOS 26.4 beta 2. Android users will need to be on the latest beta version of the Google Messages app, with availability varying based on carriers.
After updating to iOS 26.4 beta 2, iPhone users can navigate to Settings > Messages > RCS Messaging and find the new “End-to-End Encryption (Beta)” toggle, which should be enabled by default.
Apple has also updated the Messages app interface to accommodate these changes. A new lock icon will appear in the chat thread when messaging someone with RCS encryption enabled, visible to both iPhone and Android users.
This lock icon will also be displayed in all iMessage threads, as iMessage has supported end-to-end encryption since 2011.
RCS end-to-end encryption will not be included in the official release of iOS 26.4, but is available in this beta for testing purposes, with Apple confirming it will be part of a future iOS 26 update.
Apple initially introduced RCS support to iPhone with iOS 18.1, bringing features like typing indicators and read receipts to messaging between iPhone and Android users. Last March, Apple announced plans to add support for end-to-end encryption for RCS messages.
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