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Which messaging apps are end-to-end encrypted in 2026

Two things changed in May 2026. Texts between iPhones and Android phones started getting end-to-end encryption, and Instagram took it away from DMs. So the list of which chat apps are private looks different now. This page checks each big one as of September 2026, with a source for every claim.

Jordan Gibbs September 25, 2026 8 min read

Which messaging apps are end-to-end encrypted?

As of September 2026, these are end-to-end encrypted by default:

  • iMessage, Signal and WhatsApp (messages and calls).
  • Facebook Messenger, for personal chats and calls.
  • RCS texts between Google Messages users, and between iPhone and Android if both carriers support it.

These are not: plain SMS, Telegram’s normal chats, Instagram DMs, Discord text, Slack, Teams chat and regular email.

Encrypted end to end by default?The catch
iMessage (blue bubbles)YesiCloud Backup keeps a copy of the key unless Advanced Data Protection is on
RCS, iPhone and AndroidYes, in beta since iOS 26.5Both carriers must support it. Look for the lock
RCS, Android to AndroidYes, in Google MessagesEveryone in the chat needs Google Messages with RCS on
SMS and MMSNoNever encrypted end to end
WhatsAppYes, chats and callsBackups only if you turn on encrypted backup
SignalYes, everythingNothing to switch on
TelegramNoOnly Secret Chats, which are one-to-one and stay on one device
Facebook MessengerYes, personal chats and callsMeta's rollout began in December 2023
Instagram DMsNoThe opt-in version was removed on May 8, 2026
DiscordCalls yes, text noStage channels are left out
SlackNoEncrypted on the way and on Slack's servers only
Microsoft TeamsNo, for chat1:1 calls and meetings can be, if the admin allows it
Gmail and most emailNoProtected in transit. Work accounts can add more

What an encrypted message means

Almost every app encrypts your messages on the way to its servers. That stops a stranger on the same Wi-Fi from reading them. But the company unlocks them when they arrive, so the company can read them.

End-to-end encryption goes further. Your phone locks the message before it leaves, and only the other person’s phone has the key to open it. The app company carries the locked message and can’t open it. When a chat app shows a lock icon or says a chat is “end-to-end encrypted”, that’s the promise. Our plain-English guide to end-to-end encryption covers how the keys work. On this page we only ask one thing: can the company in the middle read your chat?

Is iMessage end-to-end encrypted?

Yes. Blue-bubble iMessage chats between Apple devices are end-to-end encrypted. Apple’s support page says they “can’t be read while they’re sent between devices”.

The weak spot is the backup. If you use Messages in iCloud and iCloud Backup is on, Apple’s iCloud security overview says the backup includes a copy of the key for your messages. Apple stores that key, so Apple could unlock your messages. Turning on Advanced Data Protection fixes this. With it on, the backup and the key inside it are end-to-end encrypted too. The trade-off is on Apple’s setup page: Apple no longer has the keys to help you recover your data. You’ll need your device passcode, a recovery contact or a recovery key instead.

Are iPhone to Android texts encrypted now?

Yes, if the pieces line up. Apple released iOS 26.5 on May 11, 2026, and its announcementsays end-to-end encrypted RCS “begins rolling out in beta” that day. RCS is the newer texting standard that replaces SMS between iPhones and Android phones. The encryption comes from RCS Universal Profile 3.0, which MacRumors reportsApple helped write. It’s built on an open standard called Messaging Layer Security (MLS).

For a green-bubble chat to be encrypted, all of these need to be true:

  • The iPhone is on iOS 26.5 or later.
  • The Android phone has the latest version of Google Messages.
  • Both people’s carriers support encrypted RCS. Apple’s page on bubble colorsis blunt about this: the encryption of each chat “depends on whether your contact’s carrier also supports it”.
  • The switch is on. It’s on by default. On the iPhone it lives in Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging > End-to-End Encryption.

When it works, you see a small lock in the chat. To be sure, tap the name at the top of the chat and scroll down. 9to5Mac foundan encrypted chat says “This conversation is encrypted end-to-end” at the bottom. Apple says older chats switch over “over time”, so a chat without the lock today may get it later. We’d still treat any green bubble as readable until you see the lock yourself.

Android to Android

This part isn’t new. Google’s Messages help pagesays RCS chats between Google Messages users are upgraded to end-to-end encryption on their own. That covers one-to-one and group chats, as long as everyone in the chat uses Google Messages with RCS turned on. A lock on the send button tells you it’s working.

Plain SMS

SMS and MMS are never end-to-end encrypted. Apple says they’re “not protected from a third-party reading them” on the way. Your carrier can read them. A green bubble with no lock may be SMS, so don’t send a password or a bank detail that way.

WhatsApp and its backups

WhatsApp encrypts personal chats end to end by default. Its privacy page lists messages, photos, videos and calls. Its calling pagesays calls “are always end-to-end encrypted”, and that includes video calls.

Backups are different. WhatsApp saves your chat history to iCloud or Google Drive, and those copies are only end-to-end encrypted if you ask for it. Go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup. Since October 2025you can lock it with a passkey (your face, fingerprint or screen lock) instead of a password or a 64-digit key. If you’ve never opened that menu, your backup probably isn’t end-to-end encrypted. That’s the single most useful thing on this page to go check.

Signal

Signal encrypts every message and every call, and there’s no setting to turn it off. Its support pageputs it as “every message, every call, every time”. Signal also keeps very little about you. When it gets a subpoena, its published responsesshow it can only hand over the date you signed up and the last date you connected. If you want the most private option on this list, it’s Signal.

Is Telegram encrypted?

Not end to end, unless you start a Secret Chat. Telegram’s own FAQsplits chats in two. Normal “cloud chats”, which is every chat you start by default and every group, are encrypted between your phone and Telegram’s servers. Telegram holds the keys to them. That’s how your chats show up on a new phone or on your laptop.

Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted. They only work between two people, and they stay on the device where you started them. You won’t see them on your other devices. Voice and video calls on Telegram are end-to-end encrypted. A lot of people assume Telegram is the private one. For everyday chats, WhatsApp and Signal protect you more.

Messenger and Instagram

Meta started turning on end-to-end encryption by default for personal chats and calls on Messenger and Facebook in December 2023. It said the global rollout would take months. When your chats are upgraded, Messenger asks you to set a recovery PIN so you can get your history back on a new phone.

Instagram went the other way. Encrypted DMs there were opt-in, and you had to switch them on one chat at a time. Starting May 8, 2026, Instagram removed the option. Meta’s explanation, as MacRumors reported, was that “very few people were opting in”. People with encrypted chats were told how to download what they wanted to keep. So as of September 2026, treat every Instagram DM as something Meta can read. Meta itself pointed people who want encryption to WhatsApp.

Discord, Slack and Teams

Discord now encrypts every voice and video call end to end. That covers DMs, group DMs, voice channels and Go Live streams, but not Stage channels. Text chats are not. In its May 2026 post, Discord says it has “no current plans to extend E2EE to text messages”.

Work chat apps aren’t built for this at all. Slack says customer data is encrypted at rest and in transit, which means it’s locked on the way and on Slack’s servers. That isn’t end to end. Microsoft Teams has an end-to-end optionfor one-to-one calls and for meetings. It’s off by default for calls, your admin has to allow it, and encrypted meetings need a Teams Premium license. It doesn’t cover chat messages. On a work account, assume your company can get to your chats.

Gmail and email

Regular email is not end-to-end encrypted. Gmail says all Gmail messages use TLS, which protects them on the way between mail servers. Google can still read them, and so can the other person’s email provider. Work and school accounts can add S/MIME, where Google still holds a copy of the key, or client-side encryption, where only the organization does. A personal Gmail account has neither.

What end-to-end encryption doesn’t hide

A lock icon protects the message while it travels. These gaps stay open:

  • Backups. iMessage and WhatsApp both have the backup gap above. The EFF notes that Google Messages encrypts the text of messages in backups, but not the photos and videos.
  • Who and when.The EFF also warns that for encrypted RCS, “metadata will likely still be collected and stored”. That’s who you talked to and when. For that, it points to Signal.
  • The other person’s phone.Once your message arrives, it’s theirs. They can screenshot it, forward it, or back it up somewhere that isn’t encrypted.
  • Your own phone. Anyone who can unlock it can read your chats. So can malware running on it.
For a password or a card number, don’t leave it sitting in any chat history. A one-time private note (our free tool) is encrypted in your browser and deleted after one read. Our guide on how to send a password securely has other ways to do it.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Are WhatsApp video calls end-to-end encrypted?

Yes. WhatsApp says calls on WhatsApp are always end-to-end encrypted, and that covers voice and video calls. You don't need to turn anything on.

Why did Instagram remove end-to-end encryption?

Meta said very few people were turning it on. Encrypted DMs on Instagram were opt-in and had to be switched on one chat at a time. Instagram started removing the option on May 8, 2026. People who had encrypted chats were told how to download what they wanted to keep. Meta pointed people who want encryption to WhatsApp.

Why don't I see a lock on my texts to an Android phone?

Four things have to line up. You need iOS 26.5 or later. Your friend needs the latest Google Messages. Both of your carriers have to support encrypted RCS. And the setting has to be on, under Settings, then Apps, then Messages, then RCS Messaging. If the chat has fallen back to SMS, it can't be encrypted at all. Apple and Google say encryption turns on for existing chats over time, so a chat without the lock today may get it later.

Does end-to-end encryption hide who I'm talking to?

Usually not. It hides what you say. The service can often still see who you message and when. Signal keeps less of this than most: it says the only account data it can hand over is when you signed up and when you last connected.

Written by
Jordan GibbsFounder, Relic

Jordan Gibbs is the founder of Relic, an end-to-end encrypted, permanent, searchable memory for everything you copy. He writes widely about AI, agents, and practical tooling on Medium, where he is read by tens of thousands, and builds privacy-first software. Here he covers how everyday tools like the clipboard actually work, and how to use them without handing your data to someone else.

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