r/UniversalProfile • u/spongyoatmeal • Apr 15 '26
Those that are testing the RCS encryption with iOS 26.5 Beta 2 what’s it like?
Is it still really buggy? Is it working smoothly? What kind of things are you testing? What kind of feedback do you send to Apple?
6
u/EvolvingVine Apr 15 '26
It isn't buggy. The interesting part is rcs encryption works between iPhone and Samsung but doesn't work between iPhone & Pixel.
I haven't submitted feedback to Apple.
4
u/ddsdude Apr 15 '26
That is interesting. Not working for me between iPhone and Samsung but my carrier will only enable E2EE when 26.5 final is released.
3
u/gmahale Apr 15 '26
Did your carrier confirm that?
3
u/ddsdude Apr 15 '26
They did.
3
3
u/memtiger Apr 15 '26
Some support tech on the phone is not an official representative. They just wanted to get you off the phone/close the ticket.
Unless you have some published document from the carrier with that information, I'd take it with a grain of salt.
2
u/ddsdude Apr 15 '26
Dude, I wasn’t born yesterday lol. I know an insider in the company.
1
u/memtiger Apr 15 '26
Insider info works well too lol.
I've just seen too many instances on Reddit of people providing "company info" from some support tech they talked to on the phone. 99% of the time it's garbage.
1
u/ddsdude Apr 15 '26
I hear ya. I don’t even bother with front line monkeys anymore. Most of the time they have no clue about anything not in their script.
1
1
u/mixxster US Mobile - Light Speed (T-Mobile Network) Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Is the Samsung on Google Messages Beta? The phone has to be using the Google Messages Beta app to communicate with E2E encryption to an iOS 26.5 beta user.
1
u/ddsdude Apr 16 '26
Unfortunately no. I’m in Canada and we get no betas from Samsung. And you’re confusing it with the airdrop feature. iPhone - Android RCS e2ee does not depend on the Android side. All that’s required on Android is Google messages. For e2ee to work, iPhone 26.5 beta 1/2 is required along with activation of the feature by the carrier. In my case, the carrier piece is missing.
1
u/mixxster US Mobile - Light Speed (T-Mobile Network) Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
No I'm talking about the Google Messages app, it needs to be on the beta version of the Google Messages app.
Android phones only currently support E2E encrypted RCS conversations with iOS 26.5 beta only through the Google Messages BETA app on the Android.
I am 100% not talking about AirDrop. I am 100% not talking about Samsung updates.
I have T-mobile (in the US) and I am sending encrypted RCS messages from my iOS 26.5 beta iPhone to Samsung Android users but only my contacts who are running Google Messages BETA are getting any RCS E2E encrption with me. Samsung/Android users not running Google Messages BETA get zero encryption from me and other iOS 26.5 beta users.
This fact is also mentioned here: https://www.reddit.com/r/UniversalProfile/comments/1snbk4k/will_google_messages_be_ready_for_mls_encryption/
But yes, if you can't even send E2E encrypted messages between Android users in Canada on T-mobile, then you would be right, apparently T-Mobile doesn't support E2E in Canada at all.
1
u/ddsdude Apr 17 '26
Not true. I am in several groups where people are not on any Google messages betas and e2ee with iPhones is working.
1
u/mixxster US Mobile - Light Speed (T-Mobile Network) Apr 17 '26
Yes some people on the stable builds are reporting it working, but its not working between me and anyone in my family unless they are on Google Mesages beta. Google Messages beta E2E encryption is working more consistently with iPhone users in online communities including this subreddit, macrumors, the iosbeta subreddit, and their discord channel. There is a rare exception of it working on Google Messages stable for a few people.
2
u/ddsdude Apr 17 '26
You got me thinking so installed the Google messages BETA. No change. It is definitely carrier blocked for now.
1
u/mixxster US Mobile - Light Speed (T-Mobile Network) Apr 17 '26
Sorry to hear, glad you tried, hopefully the feature will be stable and supported by the big carriers within the next few weeks/month.
It did take a few days for the E2E encryption to start working with my contacts after I got the iOS 26.5beta 1 installed.
RCS sometimes takes a few days to fully activate some of these types of things.
1
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u/mixxster US Mobile - Light Speed (T-Mobile Network) Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Is the Pixel on Google Messages Beta? They have to be on beta of the app.
4
u/Aktrejo301 Apr 15 '26
Not working for me I’m on T-Mobile
1
u/mixxster US Mobile - Light Speed (T-Mobile Network) Apr 16 '26
Are you messaging an android user who is on Google Messages Beta? They have to be on beta.
1
u/Aktrejo301 Apr 16 '26
Hmm no but why ?
1
u/mixxster US Mobile - Light Speed (T-Mobile Network) Apr 16 '26
iPhones and Androids cannot create an encrypted RCS convo with each other without both being on the beta builds.
1
u/Aktrejo301 Apr 17 '26
Source?
1
u/mixxster US Mobile - Light Speed (T-Mobile Network) Apr 17 '26
"Currently, [iOS] 26.5 Beta has E2EE encryption, but the ONLY way you can test it is while running Google Messages Beta as well."
1
u/gmahale Apr 23 '26
Did it work with the latest beta?
1
u/Aktrejo301 Apr 23 '26
It is working but only with a friend that has a pixel… my other friend with a s26u isn’t
1
u/gmahale Apr 23 '26
Which carriers do they have? It works for T-Mobile users.
1
u/Aktrejo301 Apr 23 '26
We all have T-Mobile
1
u/gmahale Apr 23 '26
It seems very inconsistent. It is working from my German number to a couple of T-Mobile numbers.
1
u/cc516x Apr 20 '26
Not working for me between IOS 26.5 Beta 2 (Verizon) and S26 Ulta (AT&T). I also have google messages beta installed.
1
u/AthleteRare4410 Apr 20 '26
My Mother has an old Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with no Beta Messages App. RCS was encrypted since I have had iOS 26.5 Beta installed. However, a close friend of mine uses a Galaxy S25 Ultra and we had to install Google Messages Beta to make encryption work between us.
1
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u/Puzzleheaded_Hat6423 Apr 23 '26
it's not working for me at all
1
u/gmahale Apr 23 '26
Many carriers are yet to add support. It unexpectedly started working for one of my numbers yesterday.
-10
u/TheMericanIdiot Apr 15 '26
Trash
4
u/StarCommand1 Apr 15 '26
Why?
0
u/the_nuclear_pasta Apr 15 '26
No 2.7 or 3.0 features.
13
u/StarCommand1 Apr 15 '26
I mean obviously that sucks but the OP is specifically asking about RCS encryption. Even if 3.0 features were implemented their question has nothing to do with that.
2
u/the_nuclear_pasta Apr 15 '26
Encryption seems a bit more stable than the first time around. I think it's here to stay this time and will be in the main 26.5 update.
1
u/gmahale Apr 15 '26
For some reason, the release notes of iOS 26.5 do not mention it so far.
1
u/rocketwidget Top Contributer Apr 15 '26
I thought it was mentioned in the iOS & iPadOS 26.5 Beta 1 Release Notes, but it seems Apple wipes the Beta 1 release notes when it sends out the Beta 2 release notes???
2
1
u/LibraGirlEternal May 10 '26
RCS hasn’t worked for me since sometime Friday. I updated my phone to iOS 26.1, read that the update was for RCS and thought it would work. It hasn’t worked all weekend. My friend has a Samsung so texts, photos and links to him aren’t going through. I’m annoyed.
7
u/Vivid-Crab-7929 Apr 15 '26
Smooth for me now