The fight for private messaging now centers on RCS, the new standard that replaces old SMS and MMS. Apple and Google already encrypt messages inside their own apps, but when an iPhone user texts an Android user, that protection disappears. This gap leaves millions of everyday chats exposed, even when people think their messages stay private.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation said this week that companies need to close that gap. The group launched its Encrypt It Already campaign and urged Apple, Google, and Meta to expand end-to-end encryption across their platforms.
The EFF also said Apple should go beyond its current iCloud protections, even though iCloud already supports encryption for many data types and offers Advanced Data Protection for backups, photos, notes, and more.
The EFF explained why this issue confuses users. It said, “Apple’s Messages is end to end encrypted, but only if everyone in the chat has an iPhone,” while Google Messages depends on Android versions, RCS support, and a lock icon. Because of that, most people never know which chats are safe.
RCS fixes many of these problems by improving image quality and replacing outdated text systems. Apple joined Google in supporting RCS in 2024, and both companies have confirmed they are working on encrypted RCS. Apple has also started laying the groundwork in iOS 26.3.
The EFF now wants users to push Apple to finish the job, so cross-platform chats get the same privacy as iMessage.
