For years, texting has remained such an old relic for messaging between iPhones and Androids due to the lack of security levels and features of modern-day messaging applications. Now, there is a sign of change in the air, as the recently updated Rich Communication Services protocol will soon allow iPhone and Android users to send messages using end-to-end encryption (E2EE), thus guaranteeing that their conversations are private and secure.
The new specification for RCS, recently published by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, is a significant step towards making cross-platform messaging safe and seamless, bridging the gap between the two top mobile operating environments.
Secure Messaging
RCS was meant to replace ordinary SMS with advanced features such as group messaging, typing indications, read receipts, and file sharing to be somewhat as good as modern messaging applications like WhatsApp, which most Android manufacturers adopted as a standard messaging feature. Apple on the other hand, held it back until the launch of iOS 18 in 2023 and brought RCS support to iPhone users after that. However, it lacked one important feature that was encrypted messaging between iOS and Android devices, which seems to change after the latest updates.
The end-to-end encryption provides privacy in such a way that only the sender and recipient of a message can read and understand the context of that message. It also prevents third parties, including network providers, even tech firms, from accessing the communications. While iMessage and WhatsApp have provided E2EE to their respective worlds for some time, the challenge of the same security level has been extending between platforms.
Inclusive Standard Security
Google implemented the E2EE into the Messages app for RCS chats, but it required a suitable standardization approach to make it available across clients and platforms. GSMA’s Universal Profile 3.0, turns out to come at a time when such a standardized attempt plays a central role. The cryptographic Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol is such an update that ensures a standardized platform for secure messaging across devices, mobile networks, and operating systems.
Tom van Pelt, GSMA technical director, said,
“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”.
Industry Implications
Cross-Platform E2EE for RCS is expected to increase consumers’ confidence in mobile messaging security. The removal of the vulnerabilities posed by unencrypted SMS will also help in the fight against scams, fraud, and unauthorized surveillance. It will also make messaging services engage in greater competition with each other because both Apple and Google have aligned their security measures closer to an already established encrypted platform, such as Signal and WhatsApp.
It is a relief that RCS encrypted messaging will soon be available between iPhone and Android users, but it also shows how much the messaging field has been fractured over the years. Apple has resisted RCS while Google has dragged out its push for universal encryption, leaving users in some security gray zone using unencrypted SMS or third-party apps like WhatsApp. One should certainly hail this as a victory for consumer privacy. Still, the more excellent issue is why it took so long, as such things should not be afterthoughts but a priority if tech giants want to safeguard users’ interests.
