How to Fix RCS Chat Verification Error on Android?

The RCS chat verification issue usually occurs when the messaging app fails to complete the activation handshake with your carrier or Google’s RCS backend. When this connection breaks, the system cannot upgrade from standard SMS to enhanced RCS messaging, which causes messages to remain in pending or fallback mode.RCS (Rich Communication Services) depends on a secure communication chain between your device, SIM card, carrier network, and Google’s Jibe servers.

Even the smallest interruption in this chain (such as blocked ports, outdated carrier configurations, or cached verification data) can break the process and cause the activation to stall.

Common triggers include:

• Outdated carrier configurations: Prevent proper communication with RCS servers.
• VPN or firewall interference: Network-level restrictions blocking handshake traffic.
• SIM and Google account mismatch: Region differences causing verification errors.
• Temporary back-end issues: Server-side disruptions halting the verification process.

1. Clear Stuck Registration

A broken registration on Google’s servers can block any new attempts to verify. By completely turning off RCS on all devices and deregistering your number, you can flush out the old token and allow the servers to create a clean session during the next verification.

1. Turn off RCS chat on every device linked to your number.
2. Visit Google’s RCS de-registration page and remove your number.
3. Wait at least 24 hours or follow the cooldown period shown on the site.
4. Restart your device.
5. Re-enable RCS chat in Google Messages to trigger a fresh verification.

2. Refresh Token with Verification Toggle

If the old verification token stored on Google’s server doesn’t match your current SIM or network settings, the process keeps failing. Toggling the Phone Number Verification option revokes the outdated token and forces the system to issue a new one.

1. Turn off RCS chat on all devices linked to your number.
2. Open Settings on your Android phone.
3. Go to Google.
4. Select All services and then tap Phone Number Verification.
5. Turn the verification option off and wait a few seconds.
6. Turn it back on to issue a new token.
7. Re-enable RCS chat in Google Messages to begin verification again.

3. Switch the Google Account

If your account has syncing problems or a corrupted registration token, the RCS verification may never complete. Switching to a different Google account forces the app to discard the old token and register from scratch.

1. Open Google Messages and turn RCS chat off.
2. Go to Google Account settings and remove the current account.
3. Add a different Google account to your device.
4. Reopen Messages, sign in with the new account, and re-enable RCS chat.
5. Once verification succeeds, you can switch back to your original account if needed.

4. Rollback Your Google Messages App

A buggy or corrupted build of Google Messages can interrupt the handshake with Google’s servers. Rolling the app back to its factory version resets its internal configuration and allows a clean start.

1. Turn off RCS Chats.
2. Tap and hold the Google Messages app icon.
3. Tap the i icon.
4. Tap the three dots and select Uninstall updates to roll back to factory settings.
5. Restart your phone to remove any leftover cache.
6. Update Google Messages from the Play Store to the latest stable version.
7. Re-enable RCS chat and verify again.

5. Reset RCS After Carrier Change

If this error started right after changing carriers, it’s likely that Google’s servers are still holding your old SIM or network data. Resetting the SIM (or eSIM) forces a clean registration with your new carrier and removes the outdated profile.

1. Turn off RCS chat in Google Messages.
2. Power off your phone and remove the SIM (or delete the eSIM profile).
3. Wait 30 seconds before reinserting or re-provisioning the SIM/eSIM.
4. Power on your phone and let it fully reconnect to the network.
5. Re-enable RCS chat to start a new verification.