Apple users have forever complained about Android users (especially when an Android user is added to a message group.) This has been a point of contention for years! Prior to Apple being forced to adopt Rich Communication Services (RCS), any time an Apple user sent or received a text from an Android user, it defaulted to being transmitted via SMS. This is why videos and pictures sent cross platform were always grainy and pixelated. Apple’s adoption of RCS helped a bit, but Apple still kept their encryption close to the vest.
Apple’s iMessage has always been encrypted, but once an Android user was added to the thread, the end-to-end encryption was gone. Google attempted to push it’s own encryption for RCS when Apple adopted RCS, but Apple would not adopt it. When RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted, they can’t be read while they’re sent between devices.
For the first time, it seems that Apple and Google will bring end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging to Apple/Android chats. It is the central feature being added in iOS 26.5. See the announcement on the Android website. See Apple’s announcement from May 11, 2026 here, where Apple states:
Apple and Google have led a cross-industry effort to bring end-to-end encryption to Rich Communication Services (RCS), making the cross-platform messaging format that replaces traditional SMS more secure and private.
Tania Olkhovaya
Apple
End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging has only begun to roll out in beta, so users may not have access just yet. If a conversation between Google and Apple devices is encrypted, the users will see a lock icon that indicates that the chat is protected.