Apple will soon support encrypted RCS messaging with Android users
Apple introduced RCS support to iPhones as part of an iOS 18 update in September. While Apple’s proprietary iMessage system already supported E2EE, this wasn’t extended to RCS messaging because the previous RCS standard didn’t provide cross-platform support. Google Messages also enabled E2EE by default for RCS texts, but only conversations between Google Messages users were E2EE, and not those exchanged with iMessage users or users of other RCS clients on Android.
This is huge. It will remove the palpable discomfort I feel when communicating with Android users resistant to installing Signal (which is a distinctly animated group, in my experience — one I have a very difficult time understanding).