Google RCS Archival: Employers Can Now Read Your Encrypted Messages (2025 Update)

Google just quietly rolled out one of the biggest privacy changes in Android history, and most users still have no idea it exists. It’s called RCS Archival, and as of November 2025, it allows employers to intercept, read, and permanently store every RCS message you send or receive on a company-managed Android phone, even encrypted ones, even if you edit or delete them.

Yes, you read that right: the same "end-to-end encrypted" RCS chats Google has been advertising for years can now be fully monitored by your boss.

What Is Google RCS Archival?

RCS Archival is a new enterprise feature built directly into Google Messages on fully managed Android devices (starting with Pixel phones). It lets IT administrators connect third-party compliance apps (Smarsh, Celltrust, 3rd Eye, etc.) that capture every single RCS and SMS message in real time, before encryption leaves your device or after it’s decrypted on arrival.

Key things your employer can now see:

• Full message content (text, images, videos, voice notes)

• Edits and deletions (yes, even messages you “unsend”)

• Read receipts and typing indicators

• Exact timestamps and metadata

This applies only to company-owned, fully managed devices enrolled through Google Workspace, Microsoft Intune, or other MDM solutions. Personal phones and BYOD work profiles are safe, for now.

Why Did Google Do This?

Simple: money and regulations.

Financial firms, healthcare providers, and government agencies have been hit with billions in fines (SEC, FINRA, HIPAA, etc.) for failing to archive modern messaging. Traditional SMS archiving broke when Google switched RCS to end-to-end encryption. RCS Archival fixes that for corporations, at the expense of employee privacy.

How to Check If You’re Affected Right Now

• Open Google Messages

• Tap your profile picture → Messages settings → RCS chats

• Look for a new banner that says “Messages are being archived by your organization”
  (If you see it, archiving is already active.)

Alternatively, go to Settings → Apps → Google Messages → Advanced and check for any “archival service” listed.

How to Protect Yourself (2025 Options)

• Use a personal phone for personal chats (the only 100% safe option)

• Disable RCS entirely on work devices (Settings → RCS chats → Turn off), forces fallback to SMS

• Switch to truly private apps like Signal or WhatsApp for sensitive conversations (these cannot be archived by RCS tools)

• If you’re an admin: never enable this on BYOD devices

The Internet Is Already Freaking Out

Since the mid-November rollout, X (Twitter) has exploded with warnings:

“Google just killed RCS privacy for anyone with a work phone.”

“Your boss can now see the message you deleted at 2am.”

“Time to go back to Signal, RCS was never actually private.”

Final Warning

RCS Archival is expanding to more Android Enterprise devices throughout 2026. If you use a company-issued Pixel or Samsung right now, assume everything in Google Messages is being logged, forever.

End-to-end encryption? Only between you and the other person.

Your employer now sits in the middle on managed devices.

Stay safe out there.