Apple iPhone 17 series
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The first developer and public betas of iOS 26.4 landed in the last few days and include a change to Messages which means green bubbles need no longer be seen as inferior to blue ones. This quiet change could be a game-changer.
ForbesApple iPhone 18 Pro May See Record-Breaking Power Upgrade, Report SaysBy David PhelanThe Move to Encrypted RCS 3.0
The improvement coming to Messages, which was present in the iOS 26.3 beta but didn’t make it to the final release looks like it will be in iOS 26.4, due in March or early April. It means there will be an important security shift for cross-platform texting.
As you’ll know, blue bubbles mean a message has come from another iPhone, but green bubbles have originated on an Android smartphone. Which means they aren’t able to be as feature-rich or as secure as the ones that Apple has handled from start to finish. All that changes in the new software.
This will mean that messages can be encrypted even if they come from, or go to, an Android phone—provided both devices are running the new RCS Universal Profile 3.0 standard.
While messages between iPhones are already encrypted via iMessage, this update finally introduces the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol to secure those conversations peppered with green bubbles.
The Beta Catch: iPhone-To-iPhone Testing
There is a notable catch in this initial iOS 26.4 beta: currently, Apple is only testing this encryption between iPhones when iMessage is disabled. While the ultimate goal is full iPhone-to-Android encryption, this first phase allows Apple to firm up the protocol within its own ecosystem.
“iPhone users who have the beta installed will see a lock icon in RCS chats, with the icon indicating that E2EE is enabled. The lock icon will also now appear in iMessage chats,” MacRumors reported.
Apple has also confirmed that iOS 26.4 will introduce a critical shift in iPhone security by enabling Stolen Device Protection by default for the first time. Right now, users have to turn it on themselves and, in many cases, people only do it when it’s too late. You can read more about this change here.
iOS 26.4 Release Date And Siri Rumors
The next release is expected in late March or April. One thing is missing, though: the long-expected Siri upgrade predicted for iOS 26.4 may now be held until at least iOS 26.5, it seems.