iPhone and Android customers will have the ability to trade end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) RCS messages within the close to future because of newly up to date RCS specs. The GSM Affiliation introduced that the most recent RCS customary consists of E2EE based mostly on the Messaging Layer Safety (MLS) protocol, enabling interoperable encryption between totally different platform suppliers for the primary time.
The GSM Affiliation stated it had began working to allow E2EE on messages despatched between Android and iPhone in September final 12 months. E2EE is a privateness and safety characteristic that stops third events, resembling messaging suppliers or cell carriers, from viewing the content material of your texts. The GSMA says the brand new RCS customary was developed in collaboration with “cellular operators, gadget producers, and expertise suppliers,” together with Apple.
“Finish-to-end encryption is a robust privateness and safety expertise that iMessage has supported because the starting, and now we’re happy to have helped lead a cross trade effort to carry end-to-end encryption to the RCS Common Profile revealed by the GSMA,” stated Apple spokesperson Shane Bauer. “We are going to add help for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in future software program updates.”
Apple launched RCS help to iPhones as a part of an iOS 18 replace in September. Whereas Apple’s proprietary iMessage system already supported E2EE, this wasn’t prolonged to RCS messaging as a result of the earlier RCS customary didn’t present cross-platform help. Google Messages additionally enabled E2EE by default for RCS texts, however solely conversations between Google Messages customers have been E2EE, and never these exchanged with iMessage customers or customers of different RCS purchasers on Android.
“We’ve all the time been dedicated to offering a safe messaging expertise, and Google Messages customers have had end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) RCS messaging for years,” Google spokesperson Ed Fernandez instructed The Verge. “We’re excited to have this up to date specification from GSMA and work as rapidly as attainable with the cellular ecosystem to implement and lengthen this essential consumer safety to cross-platform RCS messaging.”
Replace, March 14th: Added assertion from Google.
