Google’s latest Android feature could let your boss read your RCS texts on your work phone

• Google is rolling out a new text-archiving feature for Pixel phones
• It allows companies to comply with regulations in case of legal disputes
• But as every text is archived, your boss might be able to read what you say

Do you have a Google Pixel phone provided by the company you work for? If so, your boss might soon be able to read your RCS messages thanks to an upcoming change to the Google Messages app on Android.

As laid out in a Google blog post, the Android RCS Archival feature will let company-managed Pixel phones (and “other compatible Android Enterprise devices”) integrate third-party archiving apps into Google Messages so that they can take a backup of every text that passes through. That includes messages both sent and received, plus texts that are edited or deleted.

The move is being made to help companies abide by strict regulations concerning record keeping and legal requests that might involve employee communications. Right now, Google says archival providers Celltrust, Smarsh, and 3rd Eye are on board, with “more archival apps coming soon in 2026".

Before the introduction of Android RCS Archival, it could be tricky for firms to meet these regulations due to the end-to-end encryption features baked into RCS, which meant that messages sent between devices could not be read by anyone except their senders and recipients. Companies relied on carriers to log messages that might be needed in case of a legal dispute or data request, but with end-to-end encryption, they couldn’t do that.

Why it's happening

With Android RCS Archival, logging is made much easier. It also means that companies can use RCS and all its modern features – like read receipts, typing indicators and more – instead of having to rely on the older, less capable SMS and MMS platforms.

Yet since every message is harvested and archived, it brings up the concern that your boss might be able to read every text you’ve typed into Google Messages on your work phone.

Still, it’s done in a fairly transparent way, as Google says that “Employees will see a clear notification on their device whenever the archival feature is active.” That means there shouldn’t be any stealthy logging going on that you’re unaware of. Archiving is done directly on each device and not on the cloud, too, which means that end-to-end encryption is preserved.

Still, given there’s a chance that any message you type could be read by your boss, you might want to dial in those snarky comments when you’re using your work phone – or start eyeing up one of the best secure smartphones.

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