Android and iPhone Users Cannot Text Each Other With End-to-End Encryption

It’s no secret that iPhones and Androids don’t play nicely with texts: While two iPhones or two Androids have no problem messaging each other, texting between iOS and Android can be a challenge.

That’s because, until recently, Apple forced iPhones and Androids to communicate over SMS, an outdated protocol that supports few modern messaging features. While Android users have had access to RCS, a modern messaging protocol, and iPhones have had iMessage, iPhones and Androids have had to use a protocol that is decades old.

That changed this fall: With iOS 18, Apple finally added support for RCS. Once updated, an iPhone that has RCS enabled can message an Android user with RCS enabled. That allows for features like high-quality photo and video sharing, typing feedback, and group chats that work as they should.

Unfortunately, one major RCS feature that didn’t make the cut (so far) is end-to-end encryption. By far, this is the worst aspect of SMS, as well: While we can live without fancy messaging features, E2EE ensures our messages are for our eyes only. When you chat with others over platforms with E2EE, only your devices are able to decrypt and read those messages. If someone tries to intercept them, they’d only see a jumble of code, rather than the messages themselves.

Unfortunately, SMS and some RCS connections are not E2EE: That leaves your conversations vulnerable to spies and hacking: Cellular companies, for example, might be able to see and store your messages. Even if they themselves don’t spy on you, if they’re hacked, your messages can be exposed.

This is changing, at least for iPhone and Android communications. Soon enough, RCS will be encrypted on iOS’ end: As long as those of us on Android use services with E2EE RCS, conversations will be protected between these two mobile platforms.

Until then, however, if you feel strongly about E2EE messaging, consider a service that offers encryption by default, including apps like Signal and WhatsApp.