RCS texts on the iPhone aren’t encrypted now, but that could change

The GSM Association, the statement that develops the RCS standard, said connected Tuesday it’s working to alteration end-to-end encryption (E2EE) connected messages sent betwixt Android and iPhone. E2EE prevents 3rd parties, for illustration your messaging work aliases compartment carrier, from viewing your texts.

In the announcement, GSMA method head Tom Van Pelt said the adjacent milestone for RCS Universal Profile is the “first deployment of standardized, interoperable messaging encryption betwixt different computing platforms.” The move would thief span a awesome spread successful interoperability — particularly now that Apple’s connected committee pinch RCS.

Currently, not each RCS providers connection E2EE. Google Messages is one of the exceptions, arsenic it started enabling E2EE by default for RCS conversations past year. Apple’s proprietary iMessage strategy has E2EE enabled arsenic well, but it doesn’t use the aforesaid protection for RCS messages.

“We judge that E2EE is simply a captious constituent of unafraid messaging, and we person been moving pinch the broader ecosystem to bring cross-platform E2EE to RCS chats arsenic soon arsenic possible,” Elmar Weber, a wide head astatine Google, said connected LinkedIn. “Google is committed to providing a unafraid and backstage messaging acquisition for users, and we stay dedicated to making E2EE modular for each RCS users sloppy of the platform.”

As an Android user, I’m conscionable happy that I’ll yet beryllium capable to nonstop high-quality photos and videos to my iPhone-wielding friends and family. E2EE would conscionable beryllium an added plus.