Last Tuesday, the GSM Association (GSMA), the organization responsible for developing Rich Communications Services (RCS), revealed its plans to implement end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for messages shared between Android and iOS devices.

According to Tom Van Pelt, GSMA’s technical director, the introduction of interoperable end-to-end encryption is a significant step: “The next major milestone involves enhancing the RCS Universal Profile with crucial user protections, including E2EE.” This initiative represents the first effort to standardize messaging encryption across diverse platforms, addressing complex challenges like key federation and cryptographically enforced group memberships.

Cybersecurity Developments

This announcement follows Apple’s recent launch of iOS 18, which brings RCS support to its Messages app. The update features enhancements such as message reactions, typing indicators, read receipts, and high-quality media sharing.

Currently, RCS does not provide built-in end-to-end encryption, prompting Google to implement the Signal protocol to secure RCS messages on Android devices. Earlier this year, Apple expressed its intention to work with GSMA members to improve encryption, while its own iMessage service already includes E2EE.

GSMA expressed optimism about the future: “We are eager to continue our collaboration within the mobile ecosystem to enhance the RCS standard, ensuring that all messages remain private and secure through interoperable E2EE” Van Pelt said.

In addition, Google announced in July its plans to integrate the Message Layer Security (MLS) protocol into its Android Messages app, further facilitating interoperability across various messaging services.

Meta also recently outlined its approach to improve interoperability for WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger as part of compliance with the E.U. Digital Markets Act (DMA), all while aiming to preserve E2EE. “Creating third-party chat functionalities is technically challenging, and ensuring privacy and security is a collective effort,” the company stated. “We’ve made substantial progress, but there’s still more work ahead.”