Google Messages already support end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for one-on-one chats. At Google I/O 2022, Google confirmed that it is bringing it to group chats. It will be available in open beta later this year.
The company didn’t talk much about the feature. So, I assume it will work the same as in one-on-one conversations. People will need to have RCS chat turned on to use it.
Google Messages app has more than 500 monthly active users with RCS. So, there are already a lot of people who are using end-to-end encryption. Once the feature is available for group texts, your conversations will be safe and private.
Chats that are end-to-end enabled feature a small lock icon next to the send button. Soon you will start seeing them in group chats.
End-to-end encrypted chats can be seen by only the sender and receiver. No one else including hackers or any Thord-party can access the messages saved on the server. End-to-end encryption is done on the device level. Messages leave after the encryption and are decrypted after it reaches the destination device.