How to Fix Google Messages RCS Not Working on Android?
If RCS stops working in Google Messages, open Messages settings > RCS chats first and read the status exactly. A phone that says Connecting needs a different fix from one that says Not supported, Trouble connecting. Awaiting retry, or RCS chats are disabled by your carrier.
Also check whether the problem is only one chat. RCS only works when both sides of the conversation support it, so one thread falling back to SMS does not always mean your phone failed to register.
1. Check the RCS Status and Default SMS App
Google Messages needs to be the default SMS app, the phone needs internet access, and the line must be able to receive normal SMS. If any one of those is missing, RCS setup can stay incomplete while regular texting still looks normal.
- Open Google Messages.
- Tap your profile picture or initial, then open Messages settings > RCS chats.
- Read the status shown there.
Do not guess from the chat bubble alone. The RCS status label tells you whether the phone is connected, verifying, unsupported, or waiting on carrier support. - Make sure Google Messages is selected as the phone’s default SMS app.
RCS setup can fail or stay incomplete if another messaging app is still the default SMS handler. - Confirm the phone can use Wi-Fi or mobile data, and that it can receive a normal SMS.
- Open the affected chat and check whether the compose area shows RCS, SMS, or MMS.
One conversation falling back to SMS can simply mean the other person or group is not currently using RCS.
If the status says Not supported or RCS chats are disabled by your carrier, local app resets will not force RCS on. Contact the carrier or wait for support to return. If the status is stuck on verification, continue below.
2. Finish Phone Number Verification
Connecting means Google Messages is still verifying your phone number. Trouble connecting. Awaiting retry means that verification failed and the app is waiting before trying again.
- Open Google Messages > Messages settings > RCS chats.
- If Verify your number appears, tap it and enter the number tied to the active SIM.
Use the number on the active SIM, including the correct country code if Google asks for it. - Send a normal SMS to this number from another phone to confirm the line can receive texts.
- Leave the phone online for a while after retrying. Do not keep toggling RCS on and off.
- If Trouble connecting. Awaiting retry stays for more than about 30 minutes, tap Details, then choose Submit feedback.
Google points persistent retry problems to the Details and Submit feedback path from the RCS status screen.
If verification completes, the status should change to Connected. If it still cannot bind to the number, check Fi sync or SIM routing next.
3. Fix Google Fi Sync or Dual-SIM Routing
Google Fi message sync and RCS cannot run together on the same number. Dual-SIM phones can also register the wrong line if calls, texts, and mobile data are split across different SIMs during setup.
- If you use Google Fi, open Google Messages.
- Go to Messages settings > Advanced > Google Fi Wireless settings.
- Choose Stop sync & sign out if Fi message sync is enabled.
Fi message sync can keep the number on a different messaging path, so RCS will not activate until that sync path is stopped. - If you used Messages for web with Fi sync, open messages.google.com/web, open Settings, and stop sync there too.
- On a dual-SIM phone, open your phone’s SIM or Network & Internet settings.
- Use the same SIM for calls, texts, and mobile data while you retry RCS.
- Return to RCS chats and tap Retry, or turn RCS back on once.
If RCS connects after this, the issue was the number route rather than the Messages app itself. If the issue started after changing phones, clear the old registration.
4. Turn Off Old RCS or iMessage Registration
After a phone switch, your number can still be tied to the old Android RCS setup. If you moved from iPhone, iMessage can also keep intercepting messages from Apple users until the number is deregistered.
- If you still have the old Android phone, open Google Messages > Messages settings > RCS chats on it.
- Turn RCS chats off there.
Turning RCS off on the old Android phone helps release the number before the new phone tries to register it again. - If you no longer have the old phone, use Google’s official RCS deactivation web portal and verify the number by SMS.
- If you moved from iPhone, turn off iMessage and FaceTime on the old iPhone if you still have it.
- If you no longer have the iPhone, use Apple’s official Deregister iMessage page.
- On the current Android phone, reopen Google Messages, set it as default if asked, and turn RCS chats on.
If the new phone connects after the old registration is cleared, stop here. If the number is correct and no old device is holding it, rebuild the local app state.
5. Update Messages, Play Services, and Carrier Services
Google’s RCS troubleshooting points to Google Messages and Google Play services updates. Some phones also use Carrier Services for RCS support.
- Update Google Messages from the Play Store.
- Update Google Play services.
- If Carrier Services is installed, update it too.
RCS setup can depend on Messages, Play services, and on some phones Carrier Services, so update them before clearing data. - Turn on Airplane mode.
- Open Settings > Apps. If Carrier Services exists, open it, then choose Storage & cache and clear storage.
- Go back to Apps, open Google Messages, and choose Force stop.
- Open Storage & cache for Google Messages and clear storage.
- Turn Airplane mode off, reopen Google Messages, set it as the default SMS app if prompted, and turn RCS chats on again.
If RCS still will not connect, use Details > Submit feedback from the RCS status screen and contact your carrier if the status mentions carrier support. Include the exact RCS status, your carrier, whether the phone is dual-SIM, whether Google Fi sync was enabled, and whether the number recently moved from another phone.
