Google updates Messages with group end-to-end encryption and turns RCS on by default for new and existing users, but some have to agree to their carrier's ToS
Abner Li / 9to5Google :
Context & Ripple Effects
Google has spent years moving Messages from carrier-backed RCS availability toward a more consistent service: it completed a global RCS rollout and began testing encryption in 2020, then added encryption for one-to-one RCS chats in 2021.
Group-chat protection remained a later step, with testing for encrypted RCS group chats reported in late 2022. This update pairs that capability with default RCS activation, while retaining a carrier terms-of-service gate for some users.
First-order effects
- Messages users can get end-to-end encryption in RCS group chats, extending the app's protected-chat coverage beyond one-to-one conversations.
- RCS is enabled by default for new and existing users, although some must accept their carrier's terms before it can be activated.
Second-order effects
- The carrier consent requirement keeps carriers involved in the user-activation path even as Google makes RCS the default behavior in its own messaging app.
- Default activation should reduce the setup friction that previously limited use of RCS features, making encryption and richer group-chat functionality available to more Messages users.
Third-order effects
- If default-on RCS and encryption continue to expand together, the Android messaging experience shifts from carrier-dependent feature discovery toward a more standardized app-led service layer.
- The remaining carrier terms requirement shows that this transition is incomplete: interoperability and user access can still depend on carrier policies rather than Google alone.
The trend: This is part of the gradual consolidation of Android messaging around RCS as the default transport, with encryption becoming a baseline expectation for more conversation types.