Apple has promised that an important security upgrade is coming to the Messages app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
In a press statement last week, Apple said it plans to add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates. Apple did not provide a specific timeframe, but the timing of its statement heavily implies this change will be coming with iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, and watchOS 12.
End-to-end encryption keeps the contents of conversations private and secure, by preventing Apple and any other third party from being able to read messages and attachments while they are in transit/being sent between devices.
iMessage conversations with blue bubbles have supported end-to-end encryption by default since 2011, but this protection does not extend to RCS conversations with green bubbles. That will change soon enough, according to Apple.
Here is Apple's full statement:
End-to-end encryption is a powerful privacy and security technology that iMessage has supported since the beginning, and now we are pleased to have helped lead a cross industry effort to bring end-to-end encryption to the RCS Universal Profile published by the GSMA. We will add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in future software updates.
Apple added RCS support to the Messages app on iOS 18, enabling an improved messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices, with iMessage-like features such as read receipts and typing indicators. RCS messages in the Messages app lack end-to-end encryption, until Apple's promised software updates arrive.
In addition, the Messages app continues to support the older SMS standard, as a fallback option. SMS messages are not end-to-end encrypted.
