The large information of the week for Android customers who need to ship messages to their buddies with iPhones includes the massive replace to iOS 18 that was simply launched by Apple. With this replace, iPhone house owners can ship RCS messages over to Android customers, that means huge updates to the messaging expertise between the 2.
Issues like typing indicators, learn receipts, enhancements to group messaging, and high-quality media sharing are all part of this improve between the 2 platforms. Sure, inexperienced bubbles are nonetheless there, however total, the improve to RCS by Apple must be welcomed and is an enormous deal.
There’s one factor lacking, although, and that’s encryption. Google has supplied end-to-end encryption of RCS messages inside their Google Messages app since 2020 and took the step to make it on by default simply final yr. Nevertheless, between an Android system and an iPhone, there at the moment is not any encryption. The trade is no less than telling us that they’re engaged on it.
This week, the GSMA, which is behind the RCS Common Profile (aka the trade normal of RCS messaging), mentioned that they see the “subsequent main milestone” for RCS as including end-to-end encryption. They’re working to deploy standardized, interoperable messaging encryption between totally different platforms, like Android and iOS.
Sadly, there isn’t any timeline for encryption to reach, that is merely an acknowledgement by the governing physique that it is a crucial subsequent merchandise to introduce. Figuring out how this trade strikes and the way lengthy it took for RCS to turn into a factor, I’m not precisely optimistic in encryption arriving any time quickly.
