Summary
- The latest RCS Universal Profile 3.0 introduces end-to-end encryption as a standard to RCS chats to work across the board, including iPhones.
- Apple plans to roll out the new RCS profile to enable encrypted chats across its devices with a future software update.
- Currently, end-to-end encryption works only when both parties are using RCS chat in Google Messages for Android.
RCS messaging has been a hot topic of debate over the past couple of years, with Google leaving no chance of mocking Apple for refusing to adopt it — until it finally did with iOS 18 last year. However, Apple’s version of RCS came with a major catch: it lacked end-to-end encryption (E2EE), unlike what you’ve used on Android through Google Messages. That’s about to change, and it’s great news for your chats with iPhone users and mixed group chats.
How to enable, disable, and use RCS Chat in Google Messages
It’s probably time we moved on from the old SMS standard
The GSM Association, which oversees the RCS specification, has introduced RCS Universal Profile 3.0, making end-to-end encryption a standard (via The Verge). This new iteration is built on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol, ensuring your texts and media are encrypted before sending on your device and can only be decrypted by the recipient’s device. In other words, neither Google nor Apple will be able to read your messages.
When Apple added RCS support with iOS 18, it used an older version of the protocol that lacked encryption, leaving iPhone-to-Android chats exposed. Now, with this new update, Apple plans to roll out encrypted RCS across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS via a software update sometime down the line, as confirmed to The Verge. However, if you were hoping this would change the infamous green bubble situation, you’re out of luck — RCS won’t replace iMessage, and Apple still isn’t budging on singling out Android users with a different-colored chat.
Android has E2EE — but with a catch
Google spearheaded RCS, after years and numerous attempts at making a chat app that people actually wanted to use, to make a standard texting app that was available across all Android devices. While RCS on Android has supported end-to-end encryption for years, there’s a key limitation: end-to-end encryption only works if both users are on Google Messages.
If either party uses a different messaging app, encryption works only in transit. To check if your RCS chats are end-to-end encrypted, look for the lock symbol within the chat window in the Google Messages app. Hopefully, Google will also update its protocol to support encrypted RCS beyond just its own app — but thankfully, cross-app E2EE is now just around the corner.
