Google Messages is testing end-to-end encryption for RCS-enabled group chats

Popular messaging service for Android users, Google Messages is testing end-to-end encryption for group chats. Recently, Google is adding a lot of features to its messaging platform. For instance, Google Messages users can now watch YouTube videos in the app and react to messages sent by iPhone users. Now, it looks like the platform will get a security upgrade.

Redditors discovered the ongoing encryption test for group chats

As per a report by 9To5Google, Google is testing end-to-end encryption for group chats over RCS in the Messages app. Earlier this year, the company said it would start experimenting with the feature in late 2022. The report cites users in the r/GoogleMessages subreddit, saying they noticed one encrypted group message. 

The people in the subreddit used both Google Messages and Samsung Messages RCS. Upon investigating, the Redditors found that end-to-end encryption was enabled via Google Messages, which means it would encrypt the messages sent via RCS group chats. However, for an RCS group chat to be encrypted, it should be enabled on all devices. 

On the other hand, the report also mentioned that in one example the publication has seen, the app tried to send an encrypted message anyway but was unsuccessful (when encryption was not enabled for all users). Additionally, there is no easy way for users to tell whether E2EE is enabled on their devices for group chats. To recall, E2E was first added to Google Messages in late 2020. However, the feature was limited to one-to-one conversations only. Although other online messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram provide E2E for group chats. 

Here is how Google Messages’ end-to-end encryption works

On a support page, Google writes that users’ eligible messages and attachments, including photos and videos, are end-to-end encrypted. It is a security method that keeps their communications secure so that no one, not even Google, can read the eligible messages. They travel between the users’ phones and the receivers’ phones. 

When texting in an encrypted environment, both the sender and receiver have a code, which should be the same for both. The code is called a secret key and exists only on the two devices. However, it is an old support page published before Google started texting end-to-end encryption for group conversations on Messages. Nevertheless, the underlying technology that encrypts the messages remains the same.