
MESSAGES CHAT ON MAC FOR ANDROID ANDROID
Meanwhile, to compete, Google will need to evolve Android Messages to catch-up with the alternatives.

If you do this, then any messages you send to anyone with the app installed will automatically be sent over Signal. And if you’re on Android, you should use Signal as your default system messenger. But you should also use Signal, benefiting as it continues to expand.

Will we be able to have a private conversation, or will someone always be listening in?” But that needs to be the default for ALL messages, both to individuals AND groups, not a pick and choose.Īndroid Messages - SMS Vs end-to-end encrypted RCS GoogleĪnd so, what should you do? My current advice on messaging, whether Android or iOS, is to use WhatsApp day-to-day, because almost everyone you want to message will have the app and the Facebook privacy concerns were overblown. As WhatsApp’s boss Will Cathcart puts it, “end-to-end encryption locks tech companies out of particularly sensitive information. It just isn’t enough to resolve the issue. It’s great that Google has finally made this move. But iMessage isn’t cross-platform, and that rules it out as your messaging go-to unless you’re on iOS and make a point of never communicating with anyone who isn’t. Otherwise, Apple stores and can access a copy of your encryption key, somewhat counter-intuitively. IMessage does all the above without compromising end-to-end encryption, as long as you disable the general iCloud backup on your phone. There is no Android-like option on iOS to switch out the default messenger, iMessage is one of Apple’s sticky defenses against users switching to Android.

Uniquely among secure messengers, iMessage offers multi-device, fully sync’d access, a rolling cloud back-up and ever-expanding integration into the phone’s OS. Comparing iMessage and Android Messages is difficult-one is an integrated, highly-secure architecture, while the other is a security layer added to a spider’s web messaging ecosystem. Of course, it isn’t Signal or even WhatsApp that Google has in its sights with this update, it’s Apple and its much lauded iMessage platform.
