Apple Adds End-to-End Encryption for RCS Messaging Between iOS and Android

Apple has begun rolling out secure messaging between iOS and Android devices through the RCS standard.

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a modern replacement for SMS and MMS. The technology supports high-quality photo and video sharing, group chats, reactions, typing indicators, and file transfers over the internet.

⚙️ What has changed

Previously, conversations between iOS users through iMessage were protected with end-to-end encryption. However, communication between iOS and Android users was often transmitted through SMS or standard RCS without full protection of message content.

Apple is now adding support for encrypted RCS messaging in the Messages app. If the carrier supports the latest RCS version and the Android user is running the latest version of Google Messages, conversations between iOS and Android devices will be encrypted automatically.

❓ What end-to-end encryption provides

Messages are encrypted on the sender's device and decrypted only on the recipient's device. As a result, carriers and messaging infrastructure providers cannot access the contents of the conversation. In the interface, these chats are marked with a lock icon and an indication that the conversation is protected.

⚠️ Limitations

End-to-end encryption for RCS is still in beta testing, as its functionality depends on multiple parties, including Apple, Google, mobile carriers, and device support for the RCS standard.

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