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Google Messages just flicked the switch on end-to-end encryption for all RCS and group chats (chromeunboxed.com)

submitted 1 year ago by realcaseyrollins@kbin.projectsegfau.lt to c/tech@kbin.social

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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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[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, since Google has so far refused to allow anyone else to build apps for it, and none of the carriers seem to be willing to, that's exactly the problem.

Open in name doesn't mean shit when there's no way to actually do so, and access is locked under Google's thumb. It's not like lemmy,, we can't community build this shit.

And you can actually purge Google on Android. I've done it in the past, and likely will again. I still have devices that are Google free.

But the point of my comment is that rcs is unavailable outside of what, messenger and samsung? Or is there a carrier that has their own app now?

So the e2e is useless on top of that because it's being built on bullshit.

Nobody uses sms/mms for secure messaging at all, never have that I know of. Rcs was never touted as being secure originally (unless I missed some hype Google was spinning), it was just supposed to be an improved standard that brought things forward a bit. But they're unwilling to meet it be an actual standard unless their finger is in every corner of it, and a closed source messenger app under their control negates any point to the e2e at all. So this is just empty bullshit until and unless they have their protocol audited and the results publicly released.

[–] dango@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

RCS is supported by /carriers/, and many do support it. It is open in that sense.

I don't think Google is "disallowing" others from implementing RCS, it's just others choose not to? Like, RCS/SMS is a core feature of the phone/os, so it doesn't really make sense for anyone other than the OEM (or Android) to care about it. Samsung is an OEM, and Google is Android.

Telegram e.g. isn't going to implement RCS becuase why would they? Just use telegram's protocol. Etc.

And carriers don't implement any apps today? When was the last time you had to install a carrier specific SMS app? It's always down to the OEM.

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

I think we're partially missing each other's matching meaning on some of this lol

But, Google has not allowed any app developers to access RCS. You know how there's qksms, textra, chomp, etc? All those developers were chomping at the bit to either make new apps, or extend their old ones. But they can't. Google simply doesn't allow access to the service. I haven't used an oem app for sms in years tbh, they tend to suck hard, and since many oems just ship Google messages, they definitely suck hard.

RCS is meant to be at that same level, where it's a carrier linked service. Currently, all the us carriers have it implemented afaik. How well, I don't know because Google messages sucks.

Carriers used to deploy messaging apps of their own either beside or instead of OEM apps. T-Mobile kinda does, but only if you have multiple lines. I have it on my phone because I got hornswoggled into doing some local shit that I needed the extra line for. Sprint had one back maybe twelve years ago? Hard to remember which phone I had their app on. It sucked. So I didn't use it. The LG app sucked too on that phone. Switched over to a more defunct sms app and never really used oem stuff again, so I didn't notice when Sprint did away with theirs, but the phone after that didn't have it.

All Google would have to do is open up the API for RCS, and there would be a shit ton of apps made for it.

What that all means is that Google has pushed their foot into carrier messaging, if we want to use RCS. They've got their own app being the only way to access a carrier feature that we pay for. Them adding encryption to that is a joke.