It looks like Google is finally serious about strengthening the security of its message app. New report says the rich communication service (or RCS) on the platform could soon get end-to-end encryption support. This has been spotted by folks at 9to5Google who have found possible clues that refer to use of encryption in the Google Messages v6.2 build.
Google Messages rival iMessage and Signal already offer stringent encryption norms. And there’s no reason for Google to not deploy it for its RCS-enabled platform. The report has been unable to determine whether the secure messaging channel will be available to both sender and receiver. And it’s likely that users will be given the choice to enable the encryption themselves.
Emoji reactions spotted in Messages app
Google is slowly but surely building up the tools for its Messages app. Recently, it was reported the app now supports emoji reactions for select users. The emoji reaction is something that we’ve been using on Facebook and iMessage. And the reports of Message app also testing this option is good news for Android folks.
The emoji reactions tab appears below the message to its right side, and by long pressing the message, you’re able to see multiple emoji options that can be shared with the other person. The feature has been spotted by two users who’ve posted the screenshots on Reddit without confirming the version of the Messages app that enables the option.
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Earlier this year, two new features were rolled out for the Messages app. This includes the Verified SMS feature and Google Spam protection. Since it’s a server-side update, it will take a while for the new functionality to reach everyone. The app can also automatically detect unwanted text messages to check if they’re spam. If it’s not, users can ‘train’ the feature to work better by tapping on either one of the ‘Report spam’ or ‘Report not spam’ options.