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Apple's iOS 26.3 Beta 2 Update Hints at End to End Encryption Support for RCS Messaging: Report

Apple's iOS 26.3 Beta 2 Update Hints at End-to-End Encryption Support for RCS Messaging: Report

Support for E2EE will ensure that the messages and their content, like documents and media, will remain confidential and secure.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 13 January 2026 17:16 IST

Apple's iOS 26.3 Beta 2 Update Hints at End-to-End Encryption Support for RCS Messaging: Report

Photo Credit: Apple

Apple rolled out iOS 26.3 Beta 2 to developers and testers earlier this week

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Highlights

iOS 26.3 Beta 2 is currently available for developers
It suggests that Apple could soon add support for E2EE for RCS messages
GSMA requires E2EE to be enabled for all users

Apple appears to be inching closer towards rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for rich communication services (RCS) messages. iOS 26.3 Beta 2, which was released earlier this week, hints that secure RCS chats may soon be available on iPhone models compatible with iOS 26. The beta update reportedly includes new carrier bundle settings. These updated settings will allow mobile carriers to enable E2EE for RCS messages. The move comes several months after Apple announced that it would support RCS messaging, which also relies on carrier support. The Cupertino-based company is expected to release iOS 26.3 for all users by the end of January.

End-to-End Encrypted RCS Messages on iOS 26

X user Tiino-X83 (@TiinoX83) spotted a reference to a new carrier bundle setting in the latest iOS 26.3 beta 2 that would allow carriers to enable or disable E2EE for RCS messages. The settings were only found for the four major French carriers named Bouygues, Orange, SFR, and Free, with no mention of other networks globally.

Le chiffrement de bout en bout arrive sur le RCS de l'iPhone !

Je viens de vérifier les carrier bundles d'iOS 26.3 bêta 2, et Apple a ajouté un nouveau paramètre permettant aux opérateurs d'activer le chiffrement pour le RCS

Pour le moment, aucun opérateur ne l'a encore activé pic.twitter.com/RkFGH5J5ut
— Tiino-X83 (@TiinoX83) January 12, 2026

The GSMA requires E2EE to be enabled for all users, unless blocked by local laws. This standard mandates that users must be able to see their encryption status. The latest reference in the iOS 26.3 beta 2 suggests that Apple could be laying the groundwork for the feature. The iPhone maker is likely to launch it in an upcoming version of iOS.

Support for E2EE will ensure that the messages and their content, like documents and media, will remain confidential and secure, and the messaging provider won't be able to access them. This would bring RCS much closer to iMessage in terms of privacy and security.

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Further, RCS offers different features like typing indicators, read receipts, and emoji reactions. It also supports higher-resolution photo and video attachments and bridges the gap between SMS and iMessage when communicating with Android users.

Apple announced that it would add support for E2EE RCS messages in March 2025 in association with GSMA, based on its Universal Profile 3.0. While RCS is available on carriers that support the feature, E2EE support has yet to roll out on iOS 26.

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Apple is expected to release iOS 26.3 to the public at the end of January. It will be released alongside iPadOS 26.3. The public release of iOS 26.2 was made available on December 12 last year.

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Further reading: iOS 26, Apple, RCS Messaging, iOS 26.3, iOS 26.3 beta 2, iOS 26.3 beta, E2EE, RCS

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More