One of the features we’re seeing in many messaging apps and messenger services is end-to-end encryption, a feature that was only introduced to Google Messages back in 2021, making it seem like Google was lagging behind its competitors like Apple’s iMessage.
But it appears that Google has not wasted any time because according to a tweet by Mishaal Rahman, it looks like Google will soon be enabling end-to-end encryption for group chats with up to 100 participants! Prior to this, the maximum number of users supported by this feature was 21 users (including yourself).
Google Messages is starting to roll out support for having up to 100 members in an end-to-end encrypted group chat!
H/T @SeeAreEff pic.twitter.com/To9IaLXofY
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) January 18, 2023
This means that compared to Apple’s iMessage, it seems that Google has done a much better job at protecting the privacy of its users and its security, especially when it comes to group chats.
For those unfamiliar with end-to-end encryption, basically what it does is that it encrypts the message and only decrypts it when it reaches its destination and intended recipient. This means that in the event someone were to intercept your message while it is in transition, they would not be able to decrypt its contents as they would not have the key.
There are plenty of other messenger apps that already support the feature, like WhatsApp, but it’s good to know that if you use Google Messages in group chats with plenty of users, maybe a chat for school, for your condominium, for work, and so on, it will soon be better protected.