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Earlier this week, Apple surprised users with the first iOS 26.4 beta for the iPhone. Many were disappointed (including me) when the update didn’t include the much-anticipated improvements to the estranged Siri assistant. However, this was nowhere near a featureless update. iOS 26.4 beta 1 introduced at least forty new features and changes, including two notable upgrades to RCS and Stolen Device Protection.
E2EE for RCS messaging (beta)
Encrypted RCS message thread label in iOS 26.4 beta 1
Back in March 2025, which is the equivalent of a decade in tech years, Apple announced that it was leading a cross-industry effort to bring end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to the RCS Universal Profile. Previously, I predicted this would be unveiled at WWDC25. That didn’t happen. In fact, it was nearly a year of radio silence from Apple until this week, when the company dropped the first iOS 26.4 beta, finally offering the first signs of life for a feature I was beginning to think was DOA.
Apple added RCS support to iPhone in iOS 18 beta 2, to better the messaging experience with Android users. It was a welcoming move for people with parents who refused to get an iPhone (Hi, Dad).
Unlike the now-old industry standard SMS, RCS offers familiar features such as read receipts, the classic typing indicator animation, audio messages, and improved image size and quality, but it also adds the ability for enhanced privacy and security.
The keyword here is “ability.”
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