The GSM Association, the group that develops the RCS customary, mentioned on Tuesday it’s working to allow end-to-end encryption (E2EE) on messages despatched between Android and iPhone. E2EE prevents third events, like your messaging service or cell provider, from viewing your texts.
In the announcement, GSMA technical director Tom Van Pelt mentioned the subsequent milestone for RCS Universal Profile is the “first deployment of standardized, interoperable messaging encryption between completely different computing platforms.” The transfer would assist bridge a serious hole in interoperability — particularly now that Apple’s on board with RCS.
Currently, not all RCS suppliers supply E2EE. Google Messages is likely one of the exceptions, because it began enabling E2EE by default for RCS conversations final 12 months. Apple’s proprietary iMessage system has E2EE enabled as nicely, nevertheless it doesn’t apply the identical safety for RCS messages.
“We consider that E2EE is a important part of safe messaging, and we now have been working with the broader ecosystem to deliver cross-platform E2EE to RCS chats as quickly as potential,” Elmar Weber, a normal supervisor at Google, mentioned on LinkedIn. “Google is dedicated to offering a safe and personal messaging expertise for customers, and we stay devoted to creating E2EE customary for all RCS customers whatever the platform.”
As an Android consumer, I’m simply joyful that I’ll lastly be capable to ship high-quality images and movies to my iPhone-wielding family and friends. E2EE would simply be an added plus.
