Google Announces End-to-End Encryption for All Group RCS Chats
Google has recently declared that end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is now automatically enabled by default for all group chats utilizing RCS in its Android and Wear OS Messages app. This implementation aims to safeguard your conversations from unauthorized access, ensuring that only the group members can view your messages. However, it is important to note that sharing screenshots or displaying your phone to others nearby may compromise the privacy of your chats, which is beyond the control of this encryption feature.
Google notes that RCS is now enabled by default for new and existing users, as long as they haven’t previously turned RCS off in their settings. So maybe make sure no one in your group has been removed from RCS before you start sharing your most private information.
E2EE has been available for one-on-one chats for some time, and allowing it for group chats is welcome. However, Android and iOS don’t play well together on this front. Google has tried in vain to get Apple to support RCS, but the latter is quite content to use its own iMessage service for encrypted messaging. So you can only use E2EE chats if everyone in your group has either Android or iOS, unless you choose a third-party app like Signal.
