With RCS support, iOS 18 brings a huge upgrade to the cross-device Android and iPhone messaging experience. It enables users of both devices to share high-quality media and enjoy features like read receipts and typing indicators.
However, RCS chats between Android and iPhone lack end-to-end encryption (E2EE). The GSM Association, which developed the RCS standard, is working to fix this security gap.
GSMA and Google working on adding E2EE to RCS Universal Profile
RCS (Rich Communication Services) chats on Android support E2EE. This is thanks to Google’s Jibe backend, which uses a Signal add-on to encrypt conversations. The current RCS Universal Profile, as adopted by Apple, does not support end-to-end encryption. The GSM Association is working on adding interoperable end-to-end encryption.
“The next major milestone is for the RCS Universal Profile to add important user protections such as interoperable end-to-end encryption. This will be the first deployment of standardized, interoperable messaging encryption between different computing platforms, addressing significant technical challenges such as key federation and cryptographically-enforced group membership. Additionally, users will benefit from stronger protections from scam, fraud, and other security threats,” said Tom Van Pelt, GSMA’s technical director, in the announcement.
In a LinkedIn post, Elmar Weber, General Manager at Google, confirmed working with GSMA to bring E2EE to all RCS users “as soon as possible.” Apple also previously expressed its intent to add end-to-end encryption to RCS chats on iPhone.
Apple committed to bringing RCS to the Messages app in November 2023. It then officially unveiled RCS integration in the Messages app as a part of iOS 18 during WWDC24.
No timeline given for E2EE support in RCS
There’s no timeline from any parties involved on how long it will take for E2EE to come to RCS Universal Profile. After that, it will be up to Apple to add support for the newest RCS standard to iOS. So, you might have to wait a while to enjoy a more secure cross-platform messaging experience.
For now, if your iPhone is running iOS 18, enjoy the enhanced texting experience with your Android friends. iOS 18’s Messages app also has several other improvements worth checking out, like rich text formatting and message scheduling.
