2y ago

Google Messages just flicked the switch on end-to-end encryption for all RCS and group chats

cross-posted from: https://kbin.projectsegfau.lt/m/tech@kbin.social/t/26889

Google just announced that all RCS conversations in Messages are now fully end-to-end encrypted, even in group chats. RCS stands for Rich Communication Services and is replacing traditional text and picture messaging, providing you with more dynamic and secure features. With RCS enabled, you can share high-res photos and videos, see typing indicators for your...

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Reminds me how much I hate Apple.
Thanks Google for making Android.
Now please turn the evil knob down a notch and go back being the awesome company you once were.
Edit: typo
- The fuck does this have to do with Apple?
  
  Apple purposely will not integrate this to keep a walled garden around their ecosystem and make messaging between apole/Android a shit experience.
  In a perfect world everyone would just adopt rcs, it's better for consumers but Apple only gives a shit about branding/$$$.
  
  This
- Google tracks you everywhere you go all over the internet. Like 90% of websites have a script that calls home to Google to let them know you visited. That’s their business model.
Fun fact, a group I knew in uni made an end to end encryption program that sent messages through Google more than a decade ago and Google got really, really mad at them threatening to shut down all Google accounts associated with all IP addresses they used.
Guarantee it's not fully E2E.
- It doesn't matter if it's E2E or not when Google can spy on you directly on the phones at either end.
- Sent messages "through Google"? Like Chat? Email? That's such an ambiguous statement.
  E2EE has been a available approaching three years now. I'd imagine if they were lying and defrauding the population, someone would have found out by now. This announcement is just that it's on by default for everyone.
  
  Hangouts.
Now, open up the RCS API to third party texting apps... Like you said you would many years ago
- Yes! I'd love to go back to using Signal as my main messaging app.
Definitely happy that this is happening, good on them. However in practice since most of my friends are on iOS I'm still reduced to SMS/MMS and a terrible user experience
- My entire universe uses whatsapp exclusively 🤮 and I refuse.
- There's an app currently in beta called Beeper that aggregates a bunch of chat apps into one and also lets Android users connect to iMessage using an Apple ID. Highly recommend getting on the wait-list for it, the app has been great and the team working on it are very responsive and transparent.
  Unfortunately RCS support is still in active development so anyone using it may not want to connect their number yet (unless they're cool with SMS'ing with other Androids).
  
  Oh yeah I heard about that! Do you use it? How's the iMessage support on Android? Ideally I'd love if my chats with Android users go over RCS but chats with Apple users go over iMessage.
  That all said relaying my chats through a 3rd party doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside....
- Get better friends /s
  but ya, the only person I text who is on iPhone is my "influencer" sister. Everyone else uses Android, and I can use RCS.
But everything still kept in their cloud right?
Kinda wary to switch in case it turns up in the Google Graveyard.
- Fortunately I think this is one of the ones that will stay around.
You bet it's end to end and encrypted with my key and your key and our friends key the CIA's key... Wait, what?
/s... I hope
Still won't be using it. Sworry!
- More like, sworry not sworry. Am I right?
I think this is the first feature RCS provides which I want.
- Do you know what RCS all provides? because it provides a LOT of great features. I mean the biggest one is 105MB file sizes. I guess you can stick with your carrier limited MMS, which is usually set to 300KB. Or maybe you can pay for Discord Nitro to send more than 8MB files? How about Snapchat which is limited to 60 seconds video files? Perhaps Telegram, that limits your upload speed to a snail pace unless you buy Telegram Premium?
  
  I haven't attempted to send a file via txt in almost 20 years. They're txt messages. I also don't use discord nitro, snapchat, or telegram.

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