Apple and Android users are beginning to receive end-to-end encrypted text messaging support for conversations between the two platforms, marking a major change in how iPhone and Android devices communicate.
The feature started rolling out in beta on Monday for users running the latest software versions on both platforms.
End-to-end encryption, commonly referred to as e2ee, protects messages while they are transmitted between devices, making it significantly harder for hackers, governments, telecommunications providers, or platform companies to intercept and read conversations.
Until now, encrypted messaging between iPhones and Android devices was not supported.
Apple launched encrypted iMessage conversations in 2011, while Android users gained encrypted messaging support among themselves in 2021.
However, communication between Apple and Android devices remained dependent on older text messaging systems without full encryption support.
RCS Adoption Helped Bridge Messaging Gap
The encryption rollout is tied to the industry-standard Rich Communication Services protocol, better known as RCS.
RCS modernized traditional SMS texting by introducing features such as typing indicators, read receipts, emoji reactions, improved media sharing, longer message support, and encryption.
Google had pushed Apple for years to adopt RCS in order to improve communication between Android and iPhone users.
Apple resisted supporting the standard until 2023, when the company added RCS support following growing regulatory pressure.
Before RCS adoption, messaging between Android and iPhone users often created compatibility issues, including broken group chats and degraded photo and video quality.
The divide also contributed to what became known as “green bubble stigma,” referring to the green-colored text bubbles displayed on iPhones when messages came from Android devices instead of Apple’s blue iMessage bubbles.
Encrypted Conversations Will Display Lock Icon
The new encrypted messaging support has only started rolling out in beta and may not yet be available to all users.
When an RCS conversation between Android and iPhone devices is successfully encrypted, users will see a lock icon indicating the chat is protected with end-to-end encryption.
The update narrows one of the remaining functionality gaps between Apple’s iMessage ecosystem and Android messaging platforms.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.