Apple and Google have taken a big step toward securing cross-platform texting, ending years of messages bouncing around in glorified plaintext. Apple announced this week that encrypted Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging is rolling out in beta for iPhone users running iOS 26.5 and Android users on the latest version of Google Messages. The feature works across supported carriers and adds end-to-end encryption to cross-platform chats that were still taking the scenic route through carrier-era messaging infrastructure. Users will know it's enabled when a lock icon appears in RCS conversations. Apple says E2EE RCS messages cannot be read while traveling between devices, bringing Android-to-iPhone chats closer to the protections offered by WhatsApp and Signal. The move lands as other platforms head in the opposite direction. Earlier this month, Meta confirmed it was backing away from parts of its encryption rollout for Instagram DMs, telling The Register that "very few" people actually used the feature and suggesting privacy-minded users head over to WhatsApp instead. Apple, meanwhile, appears content to lean harder into the privacy angle, finally plugging one of the more obvious holes in modern messaging security. That gap has been hanging around for years. While iMessage chats between Apple devices were already encrypted, conversations involving Android phones could fall back to SMS or unencrypted RCS, depending on carrier support. Google had offered encrypted RCS chats inside Google Messages for years, but only when both sides used Google's ecosystem. Apple joining the party means cross-platform RCS encryption is finally starting to span the two largest mobile ecosystems. The rollout is still marked as beta, and carrier support varies by region, so not everyone will get encrypted chats immediately. UK availability remains unclear for now, as none of the major UK networks currently appear on Apple's published compatibility lists for the feature. Still, after two decades of the mobile industry insisting that interoperability and security could not coexist, cross-platform texting may finally be catching up with the rest of modern messaging. ®
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Apple released Updates on May 11, 2026 for current versions of their Operating System software, as well as for a number of older versions of macOS and iOS/iPadOS. The updates include more than 50 fixes for security issues including Kernel, WebKit, and Network vulnerabilities. Some new features have also been added. As an example, Apple […]
The Rapid7 2026 Global Cybersecurity Summit is just around the corner, and with it, a final opportunity to join the conversations shaping how security teams are adapting to a rapidly changing landscape.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared a preview of what to expect, from the sessions and speakers to the themes running across the agenda. What has become increasingly clear is how closely these topics are connected. Security teams are being asked to move beyond reacting to incidents and instead understand how attacks begin, how they evolve, and how decisions can be made earlier with greater confidence.
What you will gain from attending
Across two days, the summit is structured to reflect how security teams actually operate. The first day builds a shared understanding of how the threat landscape has shifted, while the second day offers more focused sessions tailored to both leaders and practitioners.
Sessions such as The Reality of Running a SOC in 2026 and Inside the Modern SOC explore how attacks unfold in practice, following signals from initial access through to response. These discussions highlight how analysts interpret activity across identity, cloud, and endpoint environments, and how decisions are made when multiple signals compete for attention.
Other sessions, including Beyond the Vulnerability List and From Cloud Exposure to Runtime Attack, focus on how exposure is changing the way teams prioritize risk. The emphasis is on understanding context and how exposed assets actually are to attackers, helping teams determine which issues are most likely to lead to impact and where effort should be focused.
Alongside this, sessions like The AI Dilemma: Automating Defense Without Surrendering Judgment examine how AI is being applied within SOC workflows. The discussion moves beyond theory and looks at how teams are balancing automation with human oversight, ensuring that speed does not come at the expense of trust or accountability.
What’s changing for security teams right now
Security operations are evolving in response to changes in both attacker behavior and organizational complexity. Environments are more distributed, signals are more fragmented, and the time available to respond continues to shrink.
As a result, the focus is shifting toward earlier action, better prioritization, and more connected decision-making. This means linking exposure with detection, reducing unnecessary noise, and building workflows that allow teams to act with clarity when it matters most.
Across the summit, these ideas are explored from multiple perspectives, but they consistently point toward the same outcome. Teams that can connect context, visibility, and response are better positioned to reduce risk before it becomes an incident.
Secure your place
With the event approaching, this is the final opportunity to register and take part in these discussions. Whether you are responsible for strategy, operations, or day-to-day detection and response, the summit is designed to provide practical insights that can be applied immediately.
Join us on May 12–13 and see how security teams are putting these approaches into practice across real environments.
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