The short messaging service, better known as SMS, turned 30 today, and to celebrate its birthday, Google announced that its Messages app will support end-to-end encryption for group conversations over the coming weeks — a feature that’s been available for one-time conversations for two years.
However, the end-to-end encryption of group chats is only open to messaging users who are registered in the beta program, so if you want to give it a try, you’ll have to participate in the beta program. Could you Head this way to learn more about the Messages app beta program.
In addition to announcing end-to-end encryption for group chats, Google also announced that the Messages app will soon let users reply to RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages with any emoji, similar to WhatsApp.
Google also used SMS’s 30th birthday as an opportunity to dig deeper at Apple for its refusal to adopt RCS, saying: “All major carriers and manufacturers have adopted RCS as a standard — except Apple. Apple refuses to adopt RCS and continues to rely on SMS when people with iPhones send messages.” messages to people with Android phones, which means their texting is stuck in the ’90s.”
The Mountain View-based internet search giant launched a #GetTheMessage campaign a few months ago, calling on Apple to adopt RCS, but the Cupertino-based tech giant has been adamant about its stance, with Apple CEO Tim Cook saying it would. Instead of converting Android users to iPhones.
It remains to be seen how this “green bubble vs. blue bubble” thing pans out and how long Apple will budge and adopt the Remote Control system.
