Google's New SMS Policy Could Spread Everywhere: Why Your Industry Might Be Next

In a highly controversial decision that has sparked debate over privacy, Google has quietly begun rolling out a feature that may allow employers to read text messages sent on company-managed Android devices.

So, for workers who assumed that SMS or chat messages remained private even when using a work phone, the reality is quickly changing. But it seems it's not even limited to Google, as we learn how the tech giant does it, any industry could easily adapt it.

What Google is Enabling Employer Access to Texts

According to new reports, Google is launching a feature called 'RCS Archival' on work-managed Android devices such as Pixel phones, which allows employers to intercept, archive, and review RCS chats, even if they were originally end-to-end encrypted.

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the modern successor to SMS on many Android phones. Moreover, it offers features such as typing indicators, read receipts and secure messaging between compatible devices. And Google had previously emphasised RCS as a way to bring Android messaging up to par with other modern chat services.

Under this new archival scheme, reportedly, when an employer fully manages a device, approved third-party archival applications used by many businesses for compliance and legal record keeping can plug into Google Messages and store conversation logs.

Furthermore, this includes any messages sent, received, edited or deleted. Google says that users will get a notification when the archival feature is active on a device. So, in effect, it seems messages are no longer private and personal if sent or received on a device managed by an employer.

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How Google Does This

The new Google policy does not rely on hidden surveillance or carrier-level access. Instead, it works through explicit integration with third-party compliance and archiving platforms that have long been used in regulated industries. And for fully managed Android devices, such as company-issued Google Pixel phones under the Android Enterprise framework, administrators can opt in to a feature called Android RCS Archival.

When enabled, this feature allows approved archival applications to intercept and store all messages sent via the default messaging app (Google Messages), including RCS chats, SMS, and MMS.

Moreover, among the first such providers are CellTrust and Smarsh. CellTrust's 'SL2 Enterprise Capture' platform will now archive every message event, which means when a message is sent, received, edited or deleted from managed Android phones.

Furthermore, this data is then transferred to the organisation's Enterprise Information Archival (EIA) system for long-term storage. And Smarsh, too, has reportedly announced a formal partnership with Google to support RCS archival, giving regulated organisations centralised administrative control over message capture and retention.

So, from a technical perspective, the archival process uses Google-supported APIs to harvest message data directly from the device, bypassing the encryption that protects messages while in transit. This means that once a message arrives on a company-managed device, the archival software can read and store it, regardless of any prior end-to-end encryption.

Is Your Employer Next?

Many industries could be next, as the archival tools described are most appealing and are indeed already in use in highly regulated industries where compliance, record keeping, and audit readiness are mandatory.

Financial services firms in banking, brokerage, insurance or wealth management are among the earliest adopters. For these firms, laws and regulations from entities such as FINRA or the SEC often require retention and supervision of all business communications, including texts and chats.

Moreover, government agencies and public sector bodies also stand out as viable users. The partnership between Smarsh and Google explicitly mentions regulated organisations and government agencies as target clients for encrypted RCS archival.

Furthermore, beyond finance and government, any sector that has strict legal, regulatory or compliance obligations, for example, legal services, wealth management, or regulatory tech ('RegTech') firms may find value in this capability. Archiving mobile communications ensures traceability, supports e-discovery during audits or investigations, and provides a complete record of internal and external communications.

Even firms outside strictly regulated sectors may begin adopting such tools if they wish to maintain a full audit trail, for example, during internal investigations, HR disputes, or when handling sensitive client data. Archival and supervision are no longer limited to email or enterprise chat platforms; RCS archival, mobile SMS, and messaging are now part of the same oversight ecosystem.