iPhone and Android customers will be capable to alternate 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 normal contains 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 mentioned 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 function that stops third events, akin to messaging suppliers or cell carriers, from viewing the content material of your texts. The GSMA says the brand new RCS normal was developed in collaboration with “cell operators, machine 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 business effort to convey end-to-end encryption to the RCS Common Profile revealed by the GSMA,” mentioned Apple spokesperson Shane Bauer. “We’ll add assist for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in future software program updates.”
Apple launched RCS assist 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 normal didn’t present cross-platform assist. Google Messages additionally enabled E2EE by default for RCS texts, however solely conversations between Google Messages customers had been E2EE, and never these exchanged with iMessage customers or customers of different RCS shoppers on Android.
