Are RCS messages encrypted?

The short answer is no, but the devil is in the details.

With iOS 18, Apple has introduced RCS messages, which is a new industry standard in messaging that allows you to send high quality videos and photos instead of those abysmally low-resolution photos and videos you currently send to your fellow Android users.

RCS also supports delivery and read message receipts just like iMessage.

In a nutshell, it makes your interaction with non-iPhone users more like iMessage, while still keeping the green bubble.

Not all carriers support RCS, but remember one thing.

One very important thing.

RCS is not end-to-end encrypted.

According to Apple’s site:

Apple’s implementation of RCS is based on the industry’s standard. RCS messages aren’t end-to-end encrypted, which means they're not protected from a third-party reading them while they're sent between devices.

Besides the messages themselves, What other sensitive information about you can be transmitted when using RCS? 

More than you think:

User identifiers are exchanged for your carrier and their partners to authenticate your device and provide a connection. These identifiers could include but are not limited to your IMEI, IMSI, current IP address, and phone number. Your current IP address might also be shared with other RCS users.

It’s funny how all the news around RCS focuses on high end photo and video transmission, but no one emphasizes that it is just as insecure as regular SMS/MMS.

If you really want to have secure group chats that allow high quality images and videos, stick with a more secure platform such as WhatsApp.

Or better yet, you could just convince your friends to get an iPhone and use iMessage, which is end-to-end encrypted.