One of the features of Apple’s iMessages is that they are end-to-end encrypted. This is more or less the standard that we can expect from most communications apps these days, but oddly enough, Google’s Messages aren’t. However, the good news is that Google has since announced that they will be implementing end-to-end encryption soon.
For those unfamiliar, Google’s Android Messages is basically’s Google’s answer to Apple’s iMessage, where instead of sending regular, boring SMS, it takes advantage of RCS chat services that will allow for more media-rich text messages, similar to what you might expect from most messaging apps these days.
However, one of the features it lacked at launch is end-to-end encryption, but like we said, Google did announce that they will be implementing the feature and will be doing so for beta users first before they eventually bring it to the public. For those unfamiliar, end-to-end encryption is where only the users themselves hold the key to decrypting its contents.
This means that in the event that it gets intercepted, the hacker will not be able to read it. It also means that Google themselves will not be able to see its contents as they do not hold the key. This is crucial for user privacy, although many law enforcement agencies feel strongly against it as it means that sometimes, they will not be able to access content to help them in their cases.
Filed in . Read more about Android, Google, Privacy and Security. Source: theverge