GSMA, the organization responsible for the development of the RICH Communications Services (RCS), has announced plans to introduce end-to-end encryption (E2ee) to protect messages transmitted between Android and iOS. This crucial step aims to enhance user safety across different platforms.
Technical Director of GSMA, Tom Van Pelt, highlighted that the next important move would be integrating end-to-end encryption into the Universal Profile standard. He also mentioned that implementing cross-platform encryption would pose various technical challenges, such as key combination and cryptographically enhanced group membership.
These announcements came shortly after the release of IOS 18 with RCS support in the Messages application. This update brought new features like message reactions, typing indicators, read receipts, and high-quality media file sharing.
While RCS offers improvements over SMS, it currently lacks default encryption. Google has initiated the use of the Signal protocol to safeguard RCS messages on Android, while Apple has expressed readiness to collaborate with GSMA to incorporate encryption in RCS.
It’s worth noting that Apple’s iMessage already utilizes end-to-end encryption to ensure message confidentiality. Furthermore, Google is planning to introduce the Message Layer Security (MLS) protocol in its Android app to enhance compatibility with other messaging platforms.
Additionally, META is actively working on enhancing compatibility between WhatsApp and Messenger with third-party messaging services as part of the requirements of the European Digital Markets Act (DMA). Despite technical challenges, the company aims to maintain end-to-end encryption whenever feasible.
According to META representatives, developing such cross-platform solutions is complex, but the company is dedicated to upholding user privacy. It’s important to mention that META and its products are considered extremist and are prohibited in Russia.