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Updated October 29th, 2021 at 13:25 IST

Google Fi launches end-to-end encryption on voice calls for subscribers in US

Google's end-to-end encryption is only available for users on Android smartphones only. Google Fi iPhone subscribers will not be able to use the feature.

Reported by: Shikhar Mehrotra
Google Fi launched end-to-end encryption on voice calls for subscribers in the US
Image: blog.google | Image:self
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Google Fi is a telecommunications service by Google that enables users to make phone calls, send SMS and access data through cellular networks and Wi-Fi. It is a service for those in the United States only. In the coming time, Alphabet-owned Google will roll out end-to-end encryption for calls made on the Google Fi MVNO network. The feature will provide advanced security to conversations on call.

According to the official blog post by Google "End-to-end encryption is the latest addition to the collection of privacy and security features that come included at no extra charge in all Fi plans, alongside our built-in VPN for a private online connection and spam blocking to stop unwanted calls." Such technology is also present in other services like Apple's FaceTime and Facebook's WhatsApp. 

End-to-end encryption on Google Fi will be limited to Android phones 

As of now, Google's end-to-end encryption is only available for Android phones. In other words, the feature is limited to calls made between two Android phones over the network (both users shall be Google Fi subscribers). Those who have subscribed to the Google Fi telecommunications services on iPhone will not be able to benefit from the feature. Additionally, Google also says that end-to-end encrypted calls will play a different dial tone, which will make them easier to differentiate from regular calls. 

The end-to-end encrypted calls on Google Fi MVNO will work over cellular and Wi-Fi connections. However, there are a couple of features for which the end-to-end encryption will not function. Firstly, calls made through the Google Messages application will not support end-to-end encryption. Secondly, the feature is not available for group calls and voicemails. Google also says that "Google Fi has always been committed to keeping your personal information safe, and we want to help you keep your personal conversations private" and hence they are launching the end-to-end encryption for calls. 

What is end-to-end encryption?

For those catching up, end-to-end encryption is a technology that does not allow anyone to listen to a digital conversation over a call. Only the user who has made and call and the user who has received it will be able to exchange information via verbal communication. Anyone else, including the service provider itself, will not be able to hijack the conversation, as it is encrypted with a unique key to the sender and the receiver. 

Image: blog.google

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Published October 29th, 2021 at 13:25 IST

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