Google has announced that it will be introducing end-to-end encryption in group chats in the Google Messages app. The security update will be available to test users first, before rolling out more broadly.
End-to-end encryption means that no one, not even Google, can read the contents of the messages. The Google Messages app already supported one-on-one chat, but now (via edge (opens in a new tab)) it will also be added to the group conversation.
“End-to-end encryption is starting to roll out in group chats and will be available to some users in the public beta program in the coming weeks,” google says (opens in a new tab)“It shouldn’t even be a thought — it’s just an expectation, and it shouldn’t be a concern to anyone texting.”
From SMS to RCS
In the same announcement blog post, Google revealed that the ability to quickly respond to messages using any emoji is also coming soon to Google Messages. Currently, only select emoji can be used as reactions.
In addition to mentioning these new features, Google is also continuing its efforts to make RCS (Rich Communication Services) the new standard for everyone — a technology update to SMS that is now widely used but has yet to be adopted by Apple. It’s the iPhone.
Google’s post also acknowledged the 30th anniversary of SMS, a milestone that underscores how old the technology is and how overdue we are now for a standard that can completely replace it.
Analysis: Text messaging really should be history
The advent of SMS thirty years ago helped change the way we communicate with each other—even though messages were limited in characters, and many cell phones could only store a limited amount of text at any one time.
Now, apps like WhatsApp and Slack have taken us far beyond these limits. Messages can be longer, include photos, video or audio, and we can even tell when recipients have opened a message we’ve sent them.
It’s these benefits that make RCS a worthwhile upgrade, improving messaging security and making things like group chat even better. Google didn’t create the standard, but it’s promoting it heavily.
However, whenever an iPhone user texts an Android user, the SMS protocol is still used. Google wants to change that, but it’s unlikely Apple will — Apple knows iMessage is one of the key reasons people stick with their iPhones.
