This is the GSMA standard for E2EE. Google may have to modify Google Messages to be compliant with this standard.
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Apple to Support Encrypted RCS Messaging in Future Software Update
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Great news, if it works. RCS worked with friend's android for a while and then after upgrading to 18.4 it stopped again. Turning it off and back on, rebooting phone, never works anymore. Also confirmed it's ok on theirs and we both tried deleting the convo and restarting too.
What would be the point of that? iMessage is encrypted, iDevices and Macs can use iMessage and get E2EE. One can only assume this is for communication with Android users, there's no point otherwise.
It would be convenient for me, gotta use Signal for talking to Android users now.
"The rest of the world"
Yeah, but not here in the US
Many here in the US still make use of regular SMS (or now RCS) and when it comes to us with iPhones, iMessage
While I do find some friends/friend groups that I'm in use other messaging apps like WhatsApp, GroupMe, etc, I still more often than not use the built in Messages app as many I communicate with either have an iPhone like me, or if they don't and they have an Android, there's now RCS
The only thing I wish that we could do when messaging someone with RCS is the same thing we can now do via iMessage in that send later feature
I'm guessing you don't understand the meaning of "E2EE for cross-platform RCS messages" because cross-platform means E2EE between iOS and Android devices. The only reason that Google uses a software extension (based on the Signal protocol) on top of the universal profile for Android to Android E2EE is because E2EE was never part of the RCS universal profile until now. With RCS 3.0 E2EE using MLS will be part of the standard and it'll be adopted. This is good news.
Most people didn't care about the colors, they cared about what the color represented, low quality text convos. RCS has upgraded the convos so less people care about the colors
Ulitmately it'll only be an issue if Apple goes with the standard and Google sticks with their current "do it themselves" implementation (or does that already match the standard?)
Does the latest version of the RCS spec that includes encryption, also include the ability to edit and unsend messages?
That‘s part of UP 2.7.
No one knows whether Apple actually implements these features or keeps their RCS more basic than others.
Yup, Android already has support for MLS so it should be ready when Apple decides to push the 3.0 UP-date. Lol
The specifications make it mandatory otherwise you cannot claim to be UP X complaint.
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And, for those that don’t want to look up old iOS images, there were a number of years where texting on the iPhone was SMS only (and then SMS/MMS only, in the beginning the iPhone did NOT support MMS!). It was green because phone related communication apps were green (that’s why the icon for making a voice call was green as well). When Apple created iMessage the goal was to indicate “this message is treated differently by your carrier from the other one”. The default green stayed green and the app icon stayed green, they just removed SMS from it, and just the iMessage bubbles were blue.
No other manufacturer had "figured it out" except for Google who was using a proprietary standard to get E2EE. Google wanted Apple to hand over their data and user data to them in order to use Google's implementation of E2EE on RCS. I get that it's confusing, especially when so many people are using their own confustion to grind an axe they have against Apple.
Agree, Whatsapp is a (like it or not) worldwide standard except US, China and probably couple of countries using telegram.
SMS is the worldwide standard. It works on everything from a flip phone to an iPhone 16 Pro.
RCS is incredible. Apple needs to fully embrace it and also update it to the latest specification. that way we can edit messages unsend them as well.
RCS and iPhone mirroring are the only 2 features of iOS 18 worth caring about
RCS and iPhone mirroring are the only 2 features of iOS 18 worth caring about
Google does not use a proprietary standard for E2EE. They rely on the open-source Signal Protocol, the same encryption standard used by popular messaging apps like Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Skype.
It's one thing to be unaware of a situation, but it's entirely different to fabricate false information out of ignorance. Google does not own the Signal Protocol. It is an open-source protocol maintained by the Signal Technology Foundation.
Apple chose to implement an outdated 2.4 UP profile when they could have adopted the newer version and incorporated the Signal extension for E2EE. However, I’m certain that Apple’s adoption of RCS ultimately pushed them to accelerate the process of adding E2EE to the standard. The real issue with Apple is that they seemingly waited until government pressure forced their hand before taking action on cross-platform text communication with Android.
Do you have a source on that because... while it sounds plausible, I think I would have heard it before.
AT&T ended unlimited data for iPhones in 2010. iMessage didn't launch until 2011. So the messages always consumed data which always cost money. And I think AT&T iPhone plans have included free unlimited texting and calling from the start. So... you kind of have it backwards. Texting may have cost the recipient depending on their plan, but it was free to the iPhone user. And iMessages would have only been free if the iPhone was on Wifi.
Even on a 25gb plan, for the five people who had the new ATT plans that I forgot rolled out around the same time....the amount of data iMessage used was not material. Maybe if you sent videos.
RCS is a cluster**** nightmare. Apple should delete it.