Subj : Apple's RCS messaging on iOS is beset by security issues, but a f
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Mon Sep 23 2024 10:15:05

Apple's RCS messaging on iOS is beset by security issues, but a fix is in the 
works

Date:
Mon, 23 Sep 2024 09:03:59 +0000

Description:
Apple has enabled RCS messaging in iOS 18 and its not as private or secure as 
other apps  but a fix is coming.

FULL STORY
======================================================================

When it comes to the age-old iOS versus Android debate, messaging has long 
been a point of contention. Apples recent adoption of the RCS messaging 
standard  allowing more seamless and feature-rich interactions between iOS 
and Android users  has helped settle things a little now that iOS 18 has 
launched, but it looks like there are still plenty of problems with how RCS 
works on Apples iPhones . 

According to the Washington Post , the biggest problem right now is that of 
security. For instance, when you send messages between iOS devices using the 
iMessage protocol, everything is end-to-end encrypted. Yet thats not the case 
when messages are sent between iOS and Android users with RCS. And if theres 
just one Android user in an RCS group chat otherwise populated by iOS users, 
end-to-end encryption isnt used at all. 

The issues arent just limited to security. Stickers sent by iOS users to 
Android devices will disappear after a few seconds on the recipients phone. 
As well as that, youll also struggle to send a text to an Android user when 
your Wi-Fi connection is weak. And if you want to schedule an RCS message 
from your iPhone, you can only do it when texting other Apple devices. That 
means the system is far from perfect. Upgrading RCS (Image credit: Apple) 

The whole idea of Apple adopting the RCS standard on its iPhones was that it 
would enable feature-rich, secure messaging whether youre texting an iPhone 
user or an Android fan. It works in some ways , but its clear that there are 
still teething problems with the new system. 

Its been suggested that Apple could fix these difficulties by simply adding 
on the missing functionality in the way apps like WhatsApp and Signal already 
have done. Instead, though, both Apple and Google are reportedly working to 
fix these issues by upgrading the RCS standard itself. 

That might be a more laborious fix, but it could ultimately be the right one, 
as it would mean any app or device using RCS would benefit from the changes, 
without the companies who make them having to come up with their own 
solutions. 

The drawback is that this process could take longer, as Apple and Googles 
improvements will need to go through a lengthy approval process before they 
can be implemented. Until then, Apple fans might want to use a secure app 
like Signal or WhatsApp to ensure that their messages are always encrypted, 
as Apples implementation of RCS isnt yet up to scratch from a privacy and 
security perspective. You might also like 6 ways iOS 18 improves messaging 
between iPhone and Android  and 3 ways it doesnt Apples new iOS 18 upgrade 
doesnt fix the green bubble problems Hell freezes over  Apple to support RCS 
messages from Android phones next year



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/phones/apples-rcs-messaging-on-ios-is-beset-by-secur
ity-issues-but-a-fix-is-in-the-works


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