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End-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messaging is getting closer to reality, with the governing body behind the standard, the GSMA, announcing today that it's ready to go.
It's not going to show up on your iPhone or Android devices this afternoon, however. But it's notable that Apple has committed to rolling it out.
In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said it's "pleased to have helped lead a cross-industry effort to bring end-to-end encryption to the RCS Universal Profile published by the GSMA. We will add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in future software updates."
Rich Communication Services (RCS) allows texters to exchange high-quality media and provides features like read receipts. Messages from Android still show up in green, but you can see their typing indicators on iPhone.
Google rolled out RCS in 2019, and Apple added it last fall with iOS 18. Google also offers end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between Android users via the Google Messages app. But Phone-to-Android RCS chats only encrypt messages in transit, not end-to-end, potentially putting messages at risk of interception.
In September, the GSMA teased E2EE between iOS and Android but later said it could take months. That day has come, with Tom Van Pelt, GSMA's Technical Director, announcing "the availability of new GSMA specifications for RCS" with E2EE based on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol.
"These procedures ensure that messages and other content, such as files, remain confidential and secure as they travel between clients," Van Pelt says. "That means that RCS will be the first large-scale messaging service to support interoperable E2EE between client implementations from different providers.
"Together with other unique security features such as SIM-based authentication, E2EE will provide RCS users with the highest level of privacy and security for stronger protection from scams, fraud, and other security and privacy threats," he adds.
“We’re excited to have this updated specification from GSMA and work as quickly as possible with the mobile ecosystem to implement and extend this important user protection to cross-platform RCS messaging,” Google tells The Verge.
This comes a few months after the FBI urged Americans to use encrypted messaging services following the Salt Typhoon attack that breached at least nine major telecom firms in the US.