After several messenger services have already introduced end-to-end encryption, Google now seems to have taken pity on it and equips its Rich Communication Service (RCS) with such encryption. This means that Android users can now also enjoy secure data transmission.

Apple’s iMessages, Facebook’s WhatsApp and Messenger Signal, among others, had already prevented messages from being read by means of appropriate encryption. All users of the public beta of Android Messages can currently use the new feature. According to Google, the complete rollout will take until the year 2017. Then all users should be able to use the encrypted service.

Google intends to use this step to give the SMS the last nail in the coffin. Even with iMessages and Whatsapp, the Short Message Service was increasingly forgotten. So it was not surprising that the telecommunications providers’ all-net flat rate plans also offered an SMS flat rate as a matter of course. The introduction of smartphones and the associated widespread availability of the Internet made user demands continue to grow.

With the release of 5G, the mobile networks should become significantly faster in the future and telephone calls via the normal mobile network should therefore become increasingly obsolete. In addition to video telephony, voice calls are now also processed via mobile messengers. This is an inexpensive alternative, especially for smartphone users who are not in other EU countries.

It remains to be seen whether the SMS service will be completely discontinued in the coming years. However, it is likely that the Short Message Service will still be able to be used in ten years, despite all modern developments.