Google tests end-to-end encryption for message app on Android

Google has begun testing the implementation of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for its Messages app on Android. Beta users who enrolled in the Messages Open Beta Program will get access to new E2EE powered RCS group chats.

RCS stands for Rich Communication Services, a protocol used by the telecom industry to improve SMS/MMS messaging on Android phones. RCS, among other things, allows users to share high-resolution media and can provide read receipts similar to popular Instant Messaging (IM) clients like WhatsApp.

In May, during I/O 2022, Google had announced that it would bring E2EE-flavoured RCS group chats in beta by the end of the year. While there is no official date for a broader rollout, the fact that the beta is ready for testing with users means the feature should arrive sooner, than later.

E2EE for one-for-one conversations is already available in the Android Messages app for everyone. Despite the telecom industry being on-board for RCS SMS communication, Apple still continues to give it the thumb.

Google has publicly called out the Cupertino hardware and technology giant for ignoring RCS-powered SMS but the company still refuses to budge and has stuck to its own iMessage system for iPhones.

In the blog post announcing the beta, Google took potshots at Apple for ignoring the standard.

"Today, all of the major mobile carriers and manufacturers have adopted RCS as the standard — except for Apple," wrote Neena Budhiraja, Group Product Manager, Messages by Google.

"Apple refuses to adopt RCS and continues to rely on SMS when people with iPhones message people with Android phones, which means their texting is stuck in the 1990s," Budhiraja added.