iOS 18 began rolling out earlier this week and with it came RCS messaging It is essentially a generic version of iMessage, offering better file sharing, smarter features, and importantly, the ability to add additional security And that is something that both Google and GSMA's RCS developers are taking very seriously

One of the reasons Apple resisted adding RCS support to the iPhone for so long was security, arguing that it would put iPhone users at risk because RCS does not provide end-to-end encryption by default Oddly enough, however, RCS messages sent between Android and iPhone are not encrypted, so the lack of encryption has not stopped Apple from enabling this feature now

Thankfully, both Google and GSMA have confirmed that they are working to fix this glaring security hole, with GSMA stating that “the next major milestone will be the RCS Universal profile”

Interoperable is the key word here, as this is necessary to make encryption work across devices and messaging platforms Without it, we end up with a fragmented landscape of messaging services that may or may not be secure in their own right This is precisely the situation we find ourselves in today

One of the most popular RCS messaging apps is Google Messages, which has offered end-to-end encryption since 2020 Google confirmed that it is “working with the broader ecosystem to bring cross-platform E2EE to RCS chat as soon as possible” Apple also said it would work with the GSMA to add encryption and special security to RCS when it first confirmed that RCS would be included in the iPhone

After waiting so long for RCS to be included on the iPhone, it is disappointing to find that cross-platform messages are not as secure as they are with SMS One also wonders why the GSMA has not yet implemented encryption in the RCS standard, given how long encrypted messaging services have existed

But at least things are moving forward Not only will end-to-end encryption be implemented, but iPhone and Android users will enjoy a better cross-platform messaging experience No more worrying about compressed files or whether your friends really read your messages

RCS is not yet universally available on the iPhone, as it relies on carriers actually supporting it However, there is a guide on how to check if RCS messaging is available on your iPhone Also see our guide on how to enable RCS messaging in iOS 18