Regardless of whether you’re sporting a new iPhone 18 Pro or a shiny Pixel 11 Pro, you can choose to send messages over RCS. If you’re on Android, you’re most likely doing this through Google Messages, which has been allowing users to opt out of RCS if they face any issue. Soon, this could stop being the case, forcing more users to rely on the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol.
Google Messages could make opting out of RCS more difficult
So far, Google Messages allowed users to disable RCS for any particular contact via a nice toggle in every chat’s settings. This way, users could select to send only SMS or MMS messages, in case RCS didn’t work as expected.
Android Authority reports that code inside the latest Google Messages beta for Android suggests this option may disappear soon. Instead of this option, users may be left with only two other choices if they want to avoid RCS.
The more secure, but quite drastic option is to turn off RCS entirely, which would affect all conversations. If that’s too much, users will be able to rely on the existing fallback option, which relies on SMS and MMS but only when RCS delivery fails.
Have you experienced any issues with RCS?
6 Votes
When is Google Messages losing the option to deactivate RCS messages with a specific contact?
You can currently deactivate RCS for one contact or use SMS/MMS when RCS fails. | Images by Android Authority
While there’s no indication of the exact date when Google might flip the switch and roll out the change, it’s very likely for it to go live sooner rather than later. The change will probably come alongside an update to the Google Messages app, though it’s very likely to also have a server-side aspect that needs to be activated.
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This could exacerbate a swath of issues that RCS still has been having recently and make it more complicated to handle some spammy RCS content.
Multiple users on Reddit have been facing a range of problems with RCS in Google Messages, which has left some of them fed up with the app. For some of them, the problems were so severe that they had to turn off RCS altogether.
Some redditors are already turning off RCS completely. | Image by Reddit (screenshot
This doesn’t seem necessary
As nice as RCS is in theory, it’s still causing some baffling issues in practice. I’m surprised that Google is willing to remove a setting that can help handle at least some of the difficulties, but maybe that’s the path to fully embracing the standard.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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