You can even make Signal your default messaging app.Īhead of Google’s launch of its end-to-end encryption beta, I asked it whether any of the flagged RCS security issues had been addressed. The latter two are of course, both available on Android, and are much better than RCS. This is as basic as it gets, and it doesn’t get close to the level of security offered by Apple’s iMessage or Signal or WhatsApp. Just like Telegram, Google’s RCS end-to-end encryption only works between two individuals, no groups, and only between one device per person. More seriously, the end-to-end encryption within Android Messages is of the same limited variety as Telegram’s.
First, it’s only in beta-and that means you and those you chat with need to have be enrolled in the beta program to use it. But this has too many caveats to advocate its use. This is very poor advice.įans of Android Messages point to Google’s long-awaited addition of end-to-end encrypted to its RCS messaging platform, now in beta. I’ve seen some tech sites suggest Android Messages as an alternative to WhatsApp, given the backlash. But that same encryption criticism can equally apply to Facebook Messenger and, of course, to Android Messages (and Samsung Messages), whether or not the apps are updated to RCS. On the surface this is an attack on Telegram, which has infamously failed to end-to-end encrypt its messages by default, despite (ironically) claiming security as one of its primary benefits. WhatsApp has gone further this week, warning the tens of millions of users now quitting for alternatives that “we’ve seen some of our competitors try to get away with claiming they can’t see people’s messages-if an app doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption by default that means they can read your messages.” You can’t have escaped the debate raging around end-to-end encryption-it has been WhatsApp’s defense against the recent backlash, after all. The issue is the security of your messages. But while RCS might look like an iMessage or WhatsApp equivalent, it isn’t anything of the sort. It’s easy to tell if you have RCS on your phone-it unlocks richer features than SMS.
Samsung’s rollout is patchier, but if you don’t have it yet, it’s on the way. Any use of Google’s messaging app can move to RCS, given that it’s underpinned by a Google platform which is separate to your carrier. You probably already have the RCS “chat” update to your Android Messages app, or you may have the functionality on Samsung’s own platform.
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