How to Enable/Disable Encryption for RCS Messaging on iPhone, by LaunchTimeMedia - Apple Tech on YouTube. 1 min 48 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 48 s
- Time to do it
- 3 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Update your iPhone to iOS 18 or later in Settings, then General, then Software Update. The RCS option only appears on newer iOS versions.
Open the Settings app on your home screen. It is the grey gear icon.
Scroll down and tap Messages to open the messaging preferences.
Look for the RCS Messaging section. If you do not see it, update your carrier settings under Settings, General, About.
Tap RCS Messaging and switch the toggle on to enable RCS, or off to disable it.
Check that the switch shows green for on. Open Messages and start a text to an Android contact to test it.
To turn it off, return to the same screen and flip the toggle to grey. Your texts then fall back to plain SMS and MMS.
Tips and common mistakes
Encryption depends on both phones and both carriers supporting it, so a message can still arrive unencrypted.
RCS chats usually show as green bubbles with read receipts and typing dots, while SMS shows neither.
If the RCS toggle is missing, restart your iPhone and check for a carrier settings update.
Turning RCS off can break high quality photo and video sending to Android phones.
Questions
Where is the RCS setting on iPhone?
It sits inside Settings, then Messages, under an RCS Messaging heading. You may need to tap into that section to reach the on and off switch.
Does RCS encryption work when texting Android phones?
Only when your carrier and the other person's carrier both support encrypted RCS. Otherwise the message still sends, but without end to end encryption.
Why can I not see the RCS toggle?
Your iPhone may be on iOS 17 or older, or your carrier may not support RCS yet. Update iOS and carrier settings, then check again.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
