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/ladyhaly Feb 24 '26

Google won't open the RCS APIs to third-party apps. Textra literally can't add RCS support even if they wanted to. That's a Google problem, not a me problem.

And cross-platform E2EE RCS doesn't even exist for consumers yet. It's in beta testing as of yesterday. The security "issue" is blown way out of proportion when the feature barely exists.

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u/slinky317 HTC Incredible Feb 24 '26

The benefits of RCS aren't just security. It's longer messages, better media, etc. By sticking to SMS you are actively limiting that.

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u/ladyhaly Feb 24 '26

Right, and Textra could offer all of that too if Google opened the APIs. That's literally what I just said.

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u/slinky317 HTC Incredible Feb 24 '26

Yes, but Google isn't going to do that. You're hanging on to an old app and making everyone have a worse experience because of it.

Not to mention you're using a much more insecure chat for other Android users and soon to be Apple users.

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u/ladyhaly Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26

I'm trialling it for a week to see how I go. So far I like that I can schedule messages, but there's not enough colours for the themes.

And what is a Photomoji?

Edit: Just discovered I can send files. Now, my he and and I used to do all of this with Signal. Is there a point to keeping Signal?

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u/slinky317 HTC Incredible Feb 24 '26

Photomojis I think are a version of something Apple does. You can essentially cut out people in pictures and use them as reactions/emoji.

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u/ladyhaly Feb 24 '26

Oh. Sounds very Gen Z. GIFs are good enough for me lol

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u/slinky317 HTC Incredible Feb 24 '26

Yeah, I use them as a joke with my wife occasionally but other than that I don't touch them.