There’s also some news for those of you still on Android TV. Details inside!
Google’s on an update kick this week. After bringing sharable digital car keys to Android and Adidas app integration to Wear OS, the company announced that end-to-end encryption for group chats is coming to Messages by Google, the default messaging app for most Android smartphones.
Messages by Google already encrypts threads between two Android-using parties. But now the encryption exists for group chats, too. It’s only rolling out in beta for now, but if you’re interested, you can sign up as a tester.
The technology relies on RCS, or Rich Communication Services, for the encryption, which means it’s not compatible with iOS users, as iMessage doesn’t support the standard. So if you have a friend on an iPhone chiming in, the messages with them are not encrypted.
As more security vulnerabilities become apparent in the smartphone world, it’s even more critical for companies and other software makers to encrypt your data.
