Google Brings End-to-End Encryption to Gmail Apps on Mobile

Late last week, Google introduced end-to-end encryption for Gmail on Android and iOS. The catch? It's only available to Workspace subscribers.

Google already offers end-to-end encryption on desktop, but it's exclusively available to users with Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Education Standard plans. The mobile update means eligible users can now read, draft, and send encrypted emails directly inside the service's smartphone apps, with each handling encryption and decryption locally before messages reach Google's servers.

The rollout focuses on business, government, and regulated sectors that use higher-tier Google Workspace plans and have client-side encryption enabled by administrators. Google says organizations retain control of encryption keys through external key management services, meaning it can't read encrypted email bodies or attachments. The sender, recipient, date, and subject line are still visible for routing and compliance purposes.

On the user's end, a lock icon on the mobile ...