Google Messages Gets End-to-End Encryption for Group Chats on Android - PCMag

Group substance chats among Android users are getting a small much secure–assuming everyone successful the chat uses a beta mentation of Google’s Messages app.

Google contiguous announced it's rolling retired end-to-end encryption for radical chats arsenic portion of a blog post(Opens successful a caller window) marking the 30th day of the archetypal substance connection received connected a telephone via a compartment network.

Using encryption close present requires a beta mentation of Google’s Messages app, and not everyone volition summation entree to it immediately. Google’s station says this diagnostic “will beryllium disposable to immoderate users successful the unfastened beta programme implicit the coming weeks.” To cheque if you person access, simply sign up to beryllium a tester(Opens successful a caller window) to unlock the beta mentation of Messages.

Google spent overmuch of the past 5 years struggling to regenerate SMS with RCS, abbreviated for “Rich Communications Services.” This wireless-industry-backed modular adds specified interactive features arsenic work receipts, typing indicators, and tapback emoji arsenic good arsenic connection encryption–the aforesaid basal features that Apple provides successful iMessage, conscionable not locked into iPhones.

But portion RCS securing messages successful transit represents a monolithic upgrade implicit SMS sending your texts successful the clear, until contiguous RCS constricted end-to-end encryption to one-to-one chats. Unfortunately, since Apple won’t vessel iMessage for Android, doesn’t enactment RCS successful its Messages app, and won't let Google to vessel an iOS mentation of its ain Messages app, texts betwixt iPhone and Android users get downgraded to lowest-common-denominator SMS. 

That means nary encryption for those chats and, adjacent aft clever hacks by Google to enactment tapback emoji, small of the interactivity RCS and iMessage allow. Google’s station takes the accidental to renew its #GetTheMessage plea to Apple, stating "Apple refuses to follow RCS and continues to trust connected SMS erstwhile radical with iPhones connection radical with Android phones, which means their texting  is stuck successful the 1990s." 

The blog station does not, however, enactment that Google has yet to present RCS enactment to its ain Google Voice app, oregon supply the coding model required by third-party backstage messaging apps specified arsenic Signal to adhd RCS support. That leaves those third-party encrypted messaging apps arsenic your lone options for unafraid phone-based messaging betwixt iPhone and Android users.