- Google rolls out new text archiving feature for Pixel phones
- It allows businesses to comply with regulations in the event of legal disputes
- But since each text is archived, your boss may be able to read what you say
Do you own a Google Pixel phone provided by the company you work for? If so, your boss may soon be able to read your RCS messages thanks to an upcoming change to the Google Messages app on Android.
As noted in a Google blog post, the Android RCS Archival feature will allow company-managed Pixel phones (and “other compatible Android Enterprise devices”) to integrate third-party archiving apps into Google Messages so they can take a backup of every text that passes. This includes messages sent and received, as well as edited or deleted texts.
The move is intended to help companies comply with strict regulations regarding record keeping and legal requests that may involve communications with employees. Right now, Google says archive providers Celltrust, Smarsh, and 3rd Eye are on board, with “more archive apps coming soon in 2026.”
Before the introduction of Android RCS Archival, it could be difficult for businesses to comply with these regulations due to the end-to-end encryption features built into RCS, which meant that messages sent between devices could not be read by anyone except their senders and recipients. Businesses relied on carriers to record messages that might be needed in the event of a dispute or data request, but with end-to-end encryption, they couldn’t do that.
Why does this happen
With Android RCS Archival, logging is much easier. This also means that businesses can use RCS and all of its modern features – like read receipts, typing indicators, etc. – instead of having to rely on older, less capable SMS and MMS platforms.
Yet, because every message is collected and archived, you worry that your boss can read every text you type into Google Messages on your work phone.
However, this is done quite transparently, as Google claims that “employees will see a clear notification on their device whenever the archiving feature is active.” This means there shouldn’t be any stealth logging that you aren’t aware of. Archiving is done directly on each device and not in the cloud as well, meaning end-to-end encryption is preserved.
Still, since it’s possible that any message you type could be read by your boss, you might want to compose those sarcastic comments when using your work phone — or start looking for one of the more secure smartphones.
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