Verdict: If RCS messages fail between an Android phone and an iPhone, first check whether RCS is unavailable, your number is still being verified, or just one conversation is affected. Android users can check RCS status in Google Messages; iPhone users need an eligible carrier plan and the RCS Messaging setting. For an urgent plain-text message, use SMS fallback where available while you identify the cause.
RCS uses Wi-Fi or mobile data and needs support on both sides of a conversation. SMS uses the carrier’s text-message service, so one can work while the other fails. A green bubble on an iPhone does not prove that RCS is active: Apple uses green for both RCS and SMS/MMS. Apple’s message-type guide and Google’s RCS FAQ explain those distinctions.
Find the failed part before changing settings
| Observed symptom | Likely place to check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| RCS Messaging is absent on iPhone | Carrier, region, plan, or software eligibility | Check iOS version and the carrier’s iPhone RCS support; ask the carrier if the setting remains absent. |
| Android shows “Connecting” or “Trouble connecting. Awaiting retry” | Phone-number verification | Confirm that the active line can receive SMS, then use “Verify your number” if offered. |
| Android says “Connected,” but one contact uses ordinary texts | The recipient’s RCS availability or conversation eligibility | Ask the recipient to check their RCS setting and carrier support; check the compose-field label on Android. |
| RCS is stuck sending to several contacts, but SMS works | Data connection or RCS registration | Test a website on mobile data and Wi-Fi, then check RCS status and app updates. |
| Messages stopped arriving after changing phones | Registration on a previous phone or iMessage handoff | Use the relevant official deactivation path only after confirming the direction of the switch. |
| Only a mixed-device group changes to individual texts | Temporary loss of one participant’s RCS connection | Check each participant’s service before rebuilding the group. |
1. Check whether the phone has usable data and texting
Open a website with Wi-Fi on, then with Wi-Fi off and mobile data on. RCS needs an internet connection, but Google also needs to verify the Android number with SMS during setup. If the phone has no cellular service or ordinary texts also fail, work on that first: see our No Service checklist or, after a recent eSIM move, the eSIM activation guide. A guide to missing verification-code texts covers the different case where ordinary person-to-person messages work but automated SMS codes do not.
Do not assume an RCS outage from a single delayed conversation. Note whether you can send and receive ordinary SMS, whether RCS fails with one person or several, and whether you recently changed the phone, SIM, carrier, or default texting app. These observations point to different fixes.
2. On Android, read the RCS status in Google Messages
Open Google Messages > profile picture > Messages settings > RCS chats. Google’s current RCS settings guide defines Connected as ready to use with other RCS users; Connecting means number verification is underway; and Trouble connecting. Awaiting retry means verification has encountered a problem. A carrier-disabled message requires carrier help, not repeated phone resets.
If the number is still verifying
Make sure Google Messages is the default SMS app, the phone has internet access, and the active number can receive SMS. Update Google Messages and Google Play Services through their normal update paths. If Verify your number appears under RCS chats, tap it and confirm the number when asked. Google’s activation troubleshooter and FAQ document these checks. If the “Awaiting retry” status persists beyond the period indicated by Google, use Details > Submit feedback where offered and ask your carrier about provisioning.
With two SIMs, verify that the number being registered is the line you intend to text from. Google’s FAQ specifically advises configuring the call SIM as the data SIM on dual-SIM devices while troubleshooting RCS. Menu names vary between Pixel, Galaxy, and other Android phones; do not delete an eSIM merely to change the preferred line.
3. On iPhone, check the carrier and RCS switch
On an iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging. Apple’s RCS setup page says the service needs iOS 18 or later and a cellular plan from a carrier that supports RCS on iPhone. Availability varies by carrier and region, and activation can take time. If the RCS switch does not appear, check the carrier’s supported features or contact the carrier. An Android sender cannot enable RCS on the recipient’s iPhone remotely.
Do not diagnose the protocol from bubble color alone. Both RCS and SMS/MMS appear green on iPhone. If the other person is available to help, ask them to check their RCS setting and whether their line has an internet connection. On Android, the Google Messages compose field says RCS message when it plans to use RCS and Text message for SMS/MMS, according to Google’s message-type guidance.
4. Use SMS fallback deliberately when RCS cannot send
If a plain message matters more than read receipts or high-resolution media, try the text fallback supplied by your messaging app. In Google Messages, the Automatically resend as text (SMS/MMS) option is under Messages settings > RCS chats, where available. Google’s FAQ explains that SMS/MMS can still send when RCS is unavailable. Confirm that the fallback sent before repeating a sensitive message, because a delayed RCS message might later arrive too.
If SMS also fails, fallback cannot solve a carrier text-service problem. Check the line, account, signal, and messaging support with the carrier. If only one contact fails, verify the number and country code and check whether that contact is blocked, as Google’s general Messages troubleshooter advises.
5. After a phone switch, use the correct registration handoff
Moving from Android to iPhone, or changing Android phones: If replies still go to an old device or stop arriving, check RCS registration on the previous Android phone. Google’s RCS deactivation page explains how to turn RCS off on that device, or verify the number online if the old phone is unavailable. This is a targeted step for a device switch, not a routine first fix: turning RCS off suspends its features, and Google warns you may be removed from RCS group chats if you do not restore it within 30 days.
Moving from iPhone to Android: If texts from iPhone users still route to the old Apple device, follow Apple’s iMessage deregistration guide. Turn off iMessage on the old iPhone or use Apple’s online deregistration process if you no longer have it. Apple notes that other Apple devices may take a few hours to recognize the change. This applies to a number still registered with iMessage; it is not a universal cure for every RCS sending failure.
6. Treat one contact or a group as a separate case
RCS needs all participants in that conversation to have it enabled. If one person’s phone or carrier cannot use RCS, a conversation may use SMS/MMS instead. Google’s Messages help says a temporarily disconnected RCS participant can cause a group message to appear as an individual SMS/MMS thread; the group usually restores when that person reconnects. Test a separate one-to-one chat before rebuilding or deleting a group.
If a single conversation remains broken while others work, confirm the recipient’s number and ask whether their RCS service is active. If every RCS conversation fails despite a working data connection and an apparently eligible setup, contact the carrier with the phone model, software version, exact RCS status, affected number, and the time the problem began. That information is more useful than a claim that the phone’s radio is faulty.
What this guide does not assume
A green bubble, a brief “Connecting” state, or one failed group message does not identify a single root cause. Avoid factory-resetting the phone, clearing message storage, or removing account security settings for an unconfirmed RCS problem. The checks above preserve your conversations while narrowing down the app, connection, registration, recipient, and carrier paths.
Editorial note: This research-based guide uses Apple and Google support documentation checked September 23, 2026. GadgetsFocus did not test a carrier network or individual handset. RCS availability and menu wording vary by device, software, carrier, and country.