A recent Android update has marked a paradigm shifting change in how text messages are handled on employer-controlled devices. This means Google has introduced a feature called Android RCS Archival, which lets organisations capture and store all RCS, SMS, and MMS communications sent through Google Messages on fully managed work phones. While the messages remain encrypted in transport, they can now be accessed on the device itself once delivered.
This update is designed to help companies meet compliance and record-keeping requirements, especially in sectors that must retain communication logs for regulatory reasons. Until now, many organizations had blocked RCS entirely because of its encryption, which made it difficult to archive. The new feature gives them a way to support richer messaging while still preserving mandatory records.
Archiving occurs via authorized third-party software that integrates directly with Google Messages on work-managed devices. Once enabled by a company's IT, the software will log every interaction inside of a conversation, including messages received, sent, edited, or later deleted. Employees using these devices will see a notification when archiving is active, signaling their conversations are being logged.
Google's indicated that this functionality only refers to work-managed Android devices, personal phones and personal profiles are not impacted, and the update doesn't allow employers access to user data on privately-owned devices. The feature must also be intentionally switched on by the organisation; it is not automatically on.
The update also brings to the surface a common misconception about encrypted messaging: End-to-end encryption protects content only while it's in transit between devices. When a message lands on a device that is owned and administered by an employer, the organization has the technical ability to capture it. It does not extend to over-the-top platforms - such as WhatsApp or Signal - that manage their own encryption. Those apps can expose data as well in cases where backups aren't encrypted or when the device itself is compromised.
This change also raises a broader issue: one of counterparty risk. A conversation remains private only if both ends of it are stored securely. Screenshots, unsafe backups, and linked devices outside the encrypted environment can all leak message content. Work-phone archiving now becomes part of that wider set of risks users should be aware of.
For employees, the takeaway is clear: A company-issued phone is a workplace tool, not a private device. Any communication that originates from a fully managed device can be archived, meaning personal conversations should stay on a personal phone. Users reliant on encrypted platforms have reason to review their backup settings and steer clear of mixing personal communication with corporate technology.
Google's new archival option gives organisations a compliance solution that brings RCS in line with traditional SMS logging, while for workers it is a further reminder that privacy expectations shift the moment a device is brought under corporate management.
