Encrypted RCS messaging coming quickly to iPhone-Android chats

Abstract

iPhone customers will quickly be capable of ship end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to Android customers.
That is because of the brand new RCS customary, Common Profile 3.0, which incorporates end-to-end encryption primarily based on the Messaging Layer Safety protocol.
Apple says it’ll embrace the brand new RCS customary in a future software program replace, however no timeline has been supplied.

With iOS 18, Apple carried out RCS messaging, which permits iPhone customers to ship Android users high-quality media, react to textual content messages, have higher group chat performance, and extra. Nonetheless, one key ingredient lacking from Apple’s implementation of RCS was end-to-end encryption (E2EE). That’s lastly about to alter.

The GSMA has announced its newest RCS customary, Common Profile 3.0, which can embrace end-to-end encryption primarily based on the Messaging Layer Safety (MLS) protocol. Which means will probably be safer when an iPhone consumer sends an RCS textual content to an Android consumer and vice versa. This replace marks the primary time interoperable encryption shall be enabled between totally different platform suppliers, a big milestone in cell communications.

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iPhone customers will nonetheless have to attend a bit longer

The brand new RCS customary is coming in a future software program replace

The brand new RCS Universal Profile 3.0 shall be rolling out to iPhone customers as a part of a future software program replace, however Apple has not but supplied a timeline. The corporate has confirmed it’s within the works.

“We’ll add help for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in future software program updates,” mentioned Apple spokesperson Shane Bauer (by way of The Verge).

Apple was part of creating the brand new RCS customary and labored with the GSMA (World System for Cell Communications Affiliation) and different “cell operators, system producers, and expertise suppliers” to develop the brand new RCS Common Profile 3.0 customary.

After all, this is not the primary time iPhone customers have had end-to-end encryption for messaging. iMessage has lengthy supported it, which implies that texting between iPhone customers has all the time been safe; it was solely with Android customers that there was a spot, which can quickly be closed. Google mentioned in a press release (by way of The Verge) that it’ll work “as rapidly as potential with the cell ecosystem to implement and prolong this vital consumer safety to cross-platform RCS messaging.”