About a year ago, the GSM Association published the RCS Universal Profile 3.0, which includes, among other features, the E2EE end-to-end encryption standard for messages. The previous version of E2EE was limited to Google, which is why Apple did not support encryption when it adopted RCS with iOS 18.
With the adoption of the new industry standard, Apple has begun working on its implementation, which will finally enable the exchange of encrypted messages between Android and iPhone devices.
However, the company seems to be moving forward with caution, as it has been about a year since the standard was announced, but signs of support have recently appeared in iOS 26.3 Beta 2.
It is still unclear whether the system fully supports E2EE messages yet, as part of the user interface dedicated to displaying the encryption status and enabling the user to modify settings has been discovered. The encryption is expected to arrive with the stable release of iOS 26.3 or may be delayed until iOS 27, with Apple not making any official statement about the implementation timeline.
Encryption protects not only text messages, but also files sent via RCS, whether they are photos, videos, or any other type, and includes group chats as well.
On top of encryption, RCS Universal Profile 3.0 introduces new features like inline replies, editing messages, unsending them within a limited time period, and properly supporting Tapback (i.e. emoji reactions).
It is worth noting that the GSM Association has already published the Universal Profile 3.1 specification, which adds support for Enhanced Audio Codec (xHE-AAC), the ability to report spam, enhanced file transfer security, and improved reliability on poor connections.
