You may have heard about Rich Communication Services (RCS) as it pertains to messaging issues between Android and iOS devices. RCS is, in essence, a different format for text messaging much like Apple’s iMessage. The intention behind it is to replace Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), which have long been the cellular industry standard, with something more akin to what Apple offers. However, RCS is not actually iMessage, and it’s not under Apple’s control.
Functionally, RCS is similar to what most iOS users are familiar with. These messages can be sent over a regular cellular network or through Wi-Fi; it allows for read receipts (assuming you decide to turn them on); it enables sending higher-quality videos and images; and it adds tapback functionality so you can tap and hold on a message to react to it rather than typing out a complete response.
Despite the similarities, RCS and iMessage are still two completely different messaging formats — meaning you can’t use RCS on an Apple device unless Apple eventually decides to allow it. This also means that texting between Android and Apple devices — with RCS for the former and iMessage for the latter — isn’t entirely compatible at the moment, though they could be if Apple loosened its restrictions.
Some carriers may turn on RCS chats by default, in which case you don’t have to do anything to start taking advantage of their, well, advantages. However, if your Android phone isn’t set up for RCS yet (and your carrier does support it), here’s what to do:
After the initial setup, you can turn RCS on and off by opening the Messages app and selecting your profile icon.
You can also check your RCS chat status by selecting the RCS Chats option in Settings. Connected means you’re all set to use RCS; Setting up means your number is still being verified (if this takes too long, tap Retry); and Disconnected means RCS is currently unavailable, possibly due to no internet connection.
Assuming your Android phone offers RCS (which requires Android 5.0 or newer) and your carrier supports it but the setup isn’t working, there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the problem.
If you still can’t get RCS set up after trying the above steps, the issue might be related to various software versions. If updates are available, take a moment to install them for the Messages app, Android OS, and Google Play Services.