Are text messages encrypted?
No. Your carrier can read your text messages, because plain SMS and MMS texts aren't end-to-end encrypted.
Checked on 25 October 2026 against 5 sources.
Made by Secria. We grade every app by the same rules. How we check
- MessagesYour carrier can read itSMS texts aren't end-to-end encrypted, so they can be read inside the phone network.1, 2, 3
- Group chatsYour carrier can read itGroup texts sent as MMS aren't end-to-end encrypted either.1, 2
- CallsNot offeredPhone calls have their own page.
- BackupsNot offeredPlain texts have no backup of their own: your phone's backup keeps them, which the iMessage and Google Messages pages cover.
- Post-quantumNot yetPlain texts have no end-to-end encryption at all, so they have no post-quantum protection as of 25 October 2026.1, 2
- Who holds the keys
- Your carrier. Plain texts have no end-to-end keys, so they can be read inside the phone network.
- What your carrier can still see
- What your texts say, who you text and when, and identifiers like your phone number and your phone's IMEI.
Send sealed messages instead of plain texts
- On iPhone, open Settings › Apps › Messages and turn on iMessage.
- On iPhone, for chats with Android phones, go to Settings › Apps › Messages › RCS Messaging, turn on RCS Messaging, and check that End-to-End Encryption (Beta) is on.
- On Android, open Google Messages, tap your profile picture › Messages settings › RCS chats, and turn on RCS chats.
Your messages are then sealed when the other person's phone and carrier support it. Look for the lock: a chat without it isn't sealed.
Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.
Are text messages encrypted?
No. Apple and Google both say SMS and MMS messages aren't end-to-end encrypted1, 2. Apple adds that this means they're not protected from a third party reading them on the way1.
On an iPhone, plain texts show in green bubbles, the same as RCS chats1. RCS chats can be sealed, which is covered on the iMessage and Google Messages pages.
Can my carrier read my texts?
Yes. Texts travel through your carrier's network without end-to-end encryption1, 3. The US cybersecurity agency CISA warns that anyone with access to a phone company's network who intercepts texts can read them3.
Your carrier handles every text, so it also sees who you text and when. Apple says the identifiers shared with your carrier can include your phone number and your phone's IMEI1.
Is it safe to get login codes by text?
Not for people at high risk, says CISA. It tells them not to use texts for login codes, because texts aren't encrypted and can be intercepted3.
CISA says codes from an authenticator app are better than texts, and that security keys are the strongest choice, with passkeys an acceptable alternative3.
What about RCS chats?
RCS is the newer kind of text, and it can be sealed. Between Google Messages users, RCS chats are sealed by default2. On iOS 26.5 or later, RCS chats between iPhone and Android can be sealed too, in beta, when every person's carrier supports it1.
You can turn RCS on in your phone's Messages settings4, 5. If you don't see a lock in the chat, the message isn't sealed1, 2.
How Text messages (SMS) compares
Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.
Sources
- What is the difference between iMessage, RCS, and SMS/MMS?, Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- How end-to-end encryption in Google Messages provides more security, Google. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Mobile Communications Best Practice Guidance, CISA. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Turn on RCS messaging on your iPhone, Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Turn on RCS chats in Google Messages, Google. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Changes to this answer
- First published.