Google Working on Bringing Cross-Platform Chat Encryption 'As Soon as Possible' After iOS 18 Adds RCS Support

iOS 18 was released on Monday for eligible iPhone models, bringing with it support for rich communication services (or RCS) on supported network providers. Messages sent between iOS and Android users will soon be upgraded with support for features found on third-party messaging apps including typing indicators, read receipts and higher quality media attachments. Meanwhile, Google has announced that it is working to introduce support for cross-platform end-to-end encryption (E2EE) RCS messaging, in order to secure chats between iOS and Android smartphones.

General Manager (Android & Business Communication Products) Elmar Weber stated in a post on LinkedIn that Google is "working with the broader ecosystem to bring cross-platform E2EE to RCS chats as soon as possible." The search giant will have to collaborate with the GSM Association (GSMA) and Apple in order to implement support for cross-platform message encryption. 

Currently, the GSMA's RCS Universal Profile specification does not include support for E2EE messaging, which means that messages sent between an iPhone and an Android smartphone are currently not protected by E2E encryption, allowing network service providers to read the contents of chats.

Google introduced E2EE chat encryption for individual chats four years ago, while support for encrypted group chats was introduced in 2023. However, Google added E2EE support to the Messages app and not the RCS standard itself, which means that only RCS chats between two Google Messages users would be protected with end-to-end encryption.

Last year, Apple told 9to5Mac that it would not use proprietary E2EE for RCS chats (such as Google's implementation), adding that it would work with GSMA members to improve the security and encryption of messages sent using the RCS protocol.

It's worth noting that Apple has added support for RCS chats with iOS 18, but adoption depends on carriers implementing support for the technology governed by the GSMA. According to Apple's support documentation, only 25 carriers in the US and Canada offer RCS messaging, while operators in Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, India, and the Asia Pacific region are yet to add support for the functionality.