RCS not working in Google Messages? You’re not alone [Update: Fix coming next week]

If you want a better texting experience with your Android and iPhone friends, Google Messages is your best — and only — option on Android. With RCS support, it aims to offer features that are on par with popular communication apps. However, RCS on Android continues to be frustratingly unreliable. Users frequently find the app failing to connect to Google’s servers, forcing them to fall back on SMS. It seems the same bug is back again, affecting users on the latest Google Messages build.

The Google Messages subreddit (2) is flooded with complaints from frustrated users who cannot activate RCS on their phones. For most, RCS texting stopped working suddenly, with their device failing to register and activate it again. Some users also report that RCS is stuck on “Setting up” on their phones.

Affected users report trying all the usual troubleshooting tips, like restarting their phone and clearing the app’s cache and data, but they did not make a difference. Based on reports, it seems the problem cropped up early this week and has persisted since then.

One solution that has purportedly worked for some affected users requires uninstalling all the updates to the Google Messages app and manually sideloading an old APK from a few months ago, with the one from December working for many (via Reddit). If this works for you, make sure to turn off auto updates for Google Messages from the Play Store.

Your only other option is to wait for Google to acknowledge the problem and roll out a fix, but that may take a while.

Google needs to address this recurring problem with RCS

The exact cause behind RCS suddenly failing for some users remains unclear, with no apparent link to their device or carrier. However, since reverting to an older version of Google Messages works, the problem seems related to the app itself.

Sadly, this is a common issue that Google Messages users frequently face when using RCS messaging on their phones. It ruins the overall experience and makes the service feel unreliable. Or you can give up on Google Messages and switch to one of the best free texting apps on the Play Store that promises a more reliable and feature-rich experience.