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iPhone-Android RCS Conversations Are End-to-End Encrypted in iOS 26.5

justanotherdave said:
People keep forgetting this.

Google didn’t want Apple to support RCS to make it easier for iPhone & Android users to message each other (that problem was solved long ago by WhatsApp or other messengers).

Google wanted a messaging duopoly with iMessage in iPhones and Google Messages on Android devices. After failing umpteen times to launch a successful messaging platform they wanted to shame Apple in helping them achieve it.

Except Apple decided to support RCS through the industry standard instead of Google’s proprietary system.

Now people still use alternative messaging platforms because of all the issues and spotty support of RCS.

Maybe one day it’ll be almost as good as what we’ve had available for 10 years now on other platforms.
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Exactly. I went (back) to iPhone because I got tired of their messaging shenanigans. This is just more hypocrisy from Google.

I don’t mind RCS as a ridiculously barebones and overdue slight improvement over SMS but that’s it.

So great job Google. At least they can’t actually cancel RCS, you know they’ll try somehow.
 
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Very happy to see this. Now hopefully carriers across the world will be quickly supporting this. Will update soon.
 
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I haven't seen the lock symbol on my RCS texts since updating today either. I know a few of them are Verizon customers so not sure what's wrong. It shows "Text message-RCS" in the text window and my settings are showing it's enabled, maybe it takes awhile to activate
 
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The Cockney Rebel said:
What is the big deal with this?

Seriously, if you’re not doing anything illegal, why is it such a big deal to encrypt messages?
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It is not about doing things illegal. It is about privacy. Just because you have nothing to hide does not mean you have nothing to protect.

Conversatins with a signifiant other. Some passionate some angry.

Sharing with family and friends great news terrible news.

Travel plans when you will be away from your home.

Just to name a few.

It is selecting about who you share your life with.
 
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dba415 said:
Not true at all. Google realized that 90% of contact between iphone and android users in the USA was through SMS. They wanted to improve that experience by adding encryption and higher file size limits.

Cross platform messaging was not solved, if it was, then there wouldn't be dozens of complaints about pixelated videos being sent
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Absolutely true.

- Shame Apple into adopting RCS.
- Promote E2EE on Google RCS.
- Prevent third party messengers from using Android RCS APIs so they can add RCS support.
- Google Messages and iMessage become the only two platforms with seamless messaging between them, eliminating the need for Apps like WhatsApp.

I don’t believe that 90% figure. Sounds like creative accounting to me. WhatsApp has 100 million users in the US. Whose doing are they sending messages to if not users on another platform?
 
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dba415 said:
Not true at all. Google realized that 90% of contact between iphone and android users in the USA was through SMS. They wanted to improve that experience by adding encryption and higher file size limits.

Cross platform messaging was not solved, if it was, then there wouldn't be dozens of complaints about pixelated videos being sent
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You have been able to send unpixelated videos on WhatsApp and any number of other cross platform messaging services for years and years. It’s a solved problem.

American’s choosing NOT to use the available products does not mean it is a problem. It just means Americans are not using the solution. They are banging their heads against a brick wall and then wondering why their heads are hurting. Meanwhile the rest of the world send billions of unpixelated videos and photos.
 
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GM… said:
And, this was after stating they would add support. They have said nothing about the other features so far.
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dba415 said:
Where are the other rcs 3 features Apple? Why did you not add in line replies yet? This is pathetic
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mrochester said:
And still no one cares given that cross platform messaging is a solved problem.
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Unless I missed something, Apple has never explicitly stated that they would provide RCS parity with iMessage by supporting all the features of RCS 3.0. Why would they do so when their primary objective is to encourage users to purchase iPhones and utilize iMessage and its associated functionalities? They said they would support RCS and encryption, and in their view (and the view of many Apple users), they accomplished that goal.
 
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Mike Wolf said:
Unless I missed something, Apple has never explicitly stated that they would provide RCS parity with iMessage by supporting all the features of RCS 3.0. Why would they do so when their primary objective is to encourage users to purchase iPhones and utilize iMessage and its associated functionalities? They said they would support RCS and encryption, and in their view (and the view of many Apple users), they accomplished that goal.
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Yeah RCS is always going to be a red-headed stepchild vs iMessage.
 
GM… said:
It does not matter. I do not want to install another app to send messages.
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I presume that means your phone has no apps on it then since you don’t want to install apps to gain enhanced functionality.

Your problem then. The solution is right there, you’re just choosing not to utilise it.
 
This is surely a failed project? Apple not allowing iMessage on other platforms and others alike has forced the rise of WhatsApp that works cross platform and is encrypted. All these other messaging apps are currently just buzz.

I would have loved Apple to allow you to add your WhatsApp, Messenger and other accounts into iMessages so there was only one messaging app but I feel they've missed the boat.
 
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mrochester said:
You have been able to send unpixelated videos on WhatsApp and any number of other cross platform messaging services for years and years. It’s a solved problem.
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I am glad Apple and others did not think like you and consider mobile communication and portable computing as solved problems in 2007.
 
GM… said:
I am glad Apple and others did not think like you and consider mobile communication and portable computing as solved problems in 2007.
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I’m also glad Apple did not think like that because there were improvements to be made.

For cross platform messaging though, there are no real improvements to be made over what we already have with existing cross platform messaging services.

If the only benefit you can come up with is that you don’t need to install an app, I think you are going to have to work a LOT harder to come up with other benefits to get people to switch away from existing solutions because that just isn’t a selling point.
 
GM… said:
The intention is to provide choice. Choice is good.
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Choice is only good if you get a better or at least as good an experience as the existing options. RCS does neither. Having a crappy choice is not much choice at all. RCS, at best, is only ever going to match the features of existing products, but only be available to a much smaller group of people.
 
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mrochester said:
Choice is only good if you get a better or at least as good an experience as the existing options.
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I agree. RCS in its current form is not an alternative to WhatsApp and the like. This should change with Universal Profile 4.0.

mrochester said:
RCS, at best, is only ever going to match the features of existing products, but only be available to a much smaller group of people.
Click to expand...

I am glad to be a part of that smaller group and can only hope it grows. Who would have thought of encrypted RCS messaging in 2024?
 
Mike Wolf said:
They said they would support RCS and encryption, and in their view (and the view of many Apple users), they accomplished that goal.
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How is their mission accomplished if the encryption is NOT working? Even on supported carriers, RCS encryption between Android and iPhones is NOT currently working for most users. It was working on beta builds of iOS 26.5, but for most people its NOT working on this final release. Mission NOT accomplished.

And to all the people bitching and moaning saying just use What's App, heck no, I want absolutely nothing to do with Meta. 95% of contacts I have in the US do not use What's App.
 
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outside of US that ship already sailed.
basically everyone in my country (single users and firms) uses WhatsApp.
there's no match, it's too little and too late.
 
Inside the US and Canada these updates are very relevant to our lives.

I'm not so concerned what Meta-based solutions are being used in other countries.
 
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