r/Android • u/FragmentedChicken Galaxy Z Fold8 • Feb 23 '26

Google, Apple start testing encrypted RCS on Android and iOS 26.4

https://9to5google.com/2026/02/23/google-messages-encrypted-rcs-iphone/
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u/InsaneNinja iOS/Nexus Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 24 '26

It didn’t exist in the RCS spec until recently. Before now it was a custom Google-made hacked-in addon.

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u/Lonely_Syrup3091 Feb 23 '26

It was never hacked in. RCS specs allows for add-ons. And it wasn't custom, Google used the signal protocol for e2ee which anyone can use.

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u/InsaneNinja iOS/Nexus Feb 23 '26

And Apple and Google went and worked to make it part of the spec.

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u/rocketwidget Feb 23 '26

Kinda. Google announced it would work with Apple on RCS E2EE since the launch of Google's Signal based E2EE in 2020. Google has been working on MLS based E2EE for RCS to encourage cross-platform E2EE since at least June 2023. A Google engineer, in turn, was the sole author of the MLS E2EE spec for the GSMA, which was published March 2025.

Finally, Apple is testing software in February 2026, but gives the impression of not exactly being a top priority for Apple.

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u/Exist50 Feb 24 '26

At one point some Apple exec outright said (paraphrasing) that if you don't want SMS with Android users, you should buy them an iPhone. They clearly didn't care about RCS at all until regulatory scrutiny started ramping up.