According to Forbes, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has issued revised guidance warning iPhone users to disable the “Send as Text Message” setting to prevent messages from falling back to unencrypted SMS. This follows CISA’s joint warning with the FBI about new commercial spyware targeting encrypted messaging platforms including Signal and WhatsApp. The agency specifically advises users to navigate to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off the text message fallback option. This comes as we’re now certain that 2026 will begin without any form of encrypted stock messaging between iPhone and Android users, despite Google testing RCS encryption that Apple hasn’t committed to implementing.
The iMessage Problem
Here’s the thing about iMessage – it’s incredibly secure when you’re texting other Apple users. The end-to-end encryption is solid. But the moment your message needs to go to an Android phone, it falls back to regular SMS. And SMS is basically like sending a postcard – anyone along the way can read it. The crazy part? This has been a known issue for years, but now with sophisticated spyware specifically targeting messaging apps, the stakes are much higher.
iphone-divide”>The Android-iPhone Divide
So why hasn’t this been fixed? Well, Google has been pushing RCS with end-to-end encryption, but Apple’s been silent about when (or if) they’ll implement it. Mark Zuckerberg has consistently called out iMessage as WhatsApp’s main competitor, especially in the U.S. where iPhone users heavily favor iMessage. It’s become this weird platform loyalty thing where the blue bubbles versus green bubbles actually matter for security. Basically, we’re stuck in this messaging cold war while our texts remain vulnerable.
What You Should Do
The advice from security experts hasn’t changed much. For day-to-day messaging, WhatsApp remains the best option despite metadata collection concerns. For truly sensitive conversations, use Signal. And if you’re an iPhone user, definitely go into your settings right now and disable that “Send as Text Message” option. It’s in Settings > Messages, and turning it off means your messages will only deliver when iMessage is available – no insecure fallback.
The Bigger Picture
What’s really concerning is that we’re heading into 2026 with no encrypted cross-platform messaging solution in sight. Chinese hackers are actively targeting U.S. networks, and our basic communication tools remain vulnerable. The FBI and CISA have been warning about this since December 2024, but the fundamental architecture problem persists. When you consider how much business communication happens over text, including in industrial settings where companies rely on secure communication for critical operations, the vulnerability becomes even more alarming. For organizations needing reliable computing hardware in manufacturing environments, providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com have become the go-to source for industrial panel PCs that can handle secure communications in tough conditions.
Looking Ahead
The pressure is building on Apple to adopt RCS encryption, but they’re moving at their own pace. Meanwhile, CISA’s guidance makes it clear that users need to take responsibility for their own security now. The fact that federal agencies are telling people to avoid their phone’s built-in messaging features? That’s pretty telling. Maybe 2025 will be the year we finally get some movement on this, but I’m not holding my breath.
