Google Messages’ latest beta seems to remove the per-contact RCS on/off toggle.
Apple’s adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS) has really helped unify messaging across Android devices and the iPhone. If you’re an Android user, you’re probably using Google Messages, the default messaging app on many Android smartphones. Until recently, you could opt out of RCS if you were having issues, but a recent report suggests the opt-out feature is likely being removed.
Right now, Android devices have an easily accessible toggle that lets you disable RCS for specific contacts, keeping the conversation to SMS and MMS. This option is useful if you happen to run into issues with RCS. However, a recent Android Authority APK teardown of the Messages app found code in the latest Google Messages beta that suggests this option will disappear soon.
Instead, Android users will only be able to turn off RCS entirely for all chats. It also seems like users will be able to rely on SMS and MMS as a fallback option when RCS delivery fails. While this sort of works like turning off RCS for specific conversations, it also gives users less overall control over how Google Messages works.
It’s unclear when this RCS settings change will be pushed out
Users are still reporting running into issues with RCS
It’s unclear when Google plans to roll out this Messages app update, but if it’s already being beta-tested, it’s likely coming soon. If you’ve encountered issues with RCS on your Android device, this definitely isn’t great news. Along with a Google Messages app update, changing a feature like this also likely requires a server-side change on Google’s part.
While RCS is generally a solid protocol, a quick look at Reddit shows several threads with users complaining about issues, including messages not being sent or received. Google first rolled out RCS back in 2019, bypassing carriers in several regions, and in 2024, Apple added RCS support to the iPhone alongside the release of iOS 18.
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