How to turn on RCS chats in Google Messages
2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026
Open Google Messages, tap your profile picture, tap Messages settings and then RCS chats. Switch on Turn on RCS chats and wait until the status says Connected. Messages to other people with RCS then go over Wi-Fi or mobile data, with typing indicators and read receipts.
RCS is the modern replacement for SMS. It sends messages over the internet, shows when the other person is typing and has read your message, handles large photos and videos, and works between Android phones and, on recent versions, iPhones. When the other side has no RCS, the message goes as a normal text.
Menu names below are from Google Pixel phones and Google's own apps on a recent Android version. Samsung, Xiaomi and other brands rename some of them. The pictures are simplified diagrams of the screen, not screenshots.
Step by step
Open Google Messages
It must be the default app for text messages. The phone asks you to set it as default if it is not.
Tap your profile picture, then Messages settings
The picture is at the top right.
Tap RCS chats
On some versions the entry is under General.
Switch on RCS chats
Google checks your phone number. This can take a few minutes and may send a silent text message.
Read the status
Connected: RCS is working. Connecting or Setting up: your number is still being checked. Wait. Trouble connecting: check the internet connection, and if it stays for more than half an hour, send feedback to Google from the help menu of the app.
Choose the extras
On the same page you decide whether others see read receipts and typing indicators from you.
Good to know
RCS messages use Wi-Fi or mobile data, not your text allowance. Without a data connection, Messages can fall back to SMS if you allow it.
Do not switch RCS off and on without need. Google warns that you are removed from RCS group chats when you turn it off.
Before you move your SIM to a phone without RCS, or to a different messaging app, turn RCS chats off. Otherwise messages from others can go missing. If you no longer have the old phone, use Google's web page for deactivating chats.
If texts do not arrive at all: Android not sending or receiving texts: 9 fixes to try.
In short: Google Messages, profile picture, Messages settings, RCS chats, switch on, wait for Connected.
- Google Messages Help: Turn on RCS chats in Google Messages
Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.