How to Manually Enable RCS on Android Right Now

It’s been a while since Google announced plans to push RCS adoption so that Android users could finally move on from the outdated SMS technology, but most users are stuck waiting for their mobile carriers to flip the switch at some point in 2020—that is, unless you decide to take matters into your own hands and flip those switches yourself.

If you’re not sure what RCS is or why you would want to enable it, our RCS primer has all the details, but the most important reason is that RCS text messages are better and support far more features than SMS does. You know how Apple’s iMessage lets you see when your friends are typing or carry on conversations across multiple devices? RCS lets Android users finally do both—plus tons more—in their core texting app.

Google updated the Android messages app with RCS support a while back, but it’s up to each mobile carrier to enable it on its network. However, Android Police recently reported that Reddit users have successfully enabled RCS features in their Android Messages app without needing carrier approval. The process might take a few tries before it sticks, but it seems to work for most Android devices running a variety of Android versions.

After you have upgraded, you can tap “...” > Settings > Chat features in the Messages app to see which RCS features are available for you. If you are shown a warning message at the top of the screen, it may mean your phone number cannot be verified—don’t worry, though, this is fixable. First, make sure you followed the above steps correctly. If that doesn’t solve anything, try each of the following fixes until you find one that works

Source: Lifehacker.com

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