RCS and SMS are different messaging systems, and you can switch between them in your phone's settings

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a newer messaging standard that offers features like read receipts, typing indicators, and higher-quality photo sharing. SMS (Short Message Service) is the older, simpler text message standard that works on almost every phone and carrier. If your phone is set to RCS but you want to use SMS instead — because your carrier doesn't support it well, you're having delivery problems, or you simply prefer the basic version — you can turn RCS off in your messaging app settings.

The exact steps depend on which phone you have and which messaging app you use. Android phones with Google Messages can disable RCS in one menu. iPhones don't use RCS at all and send SMS or iMessage by default. Other Android phones and third-party apps have different paths to the same setting.

Key Takeaways

  • RCS is turned on or off in your phone's default messaging app, usually under settings or advanced options.
  • Google Messages on Android has a dedicated RCS toggle that you can switch off to use SMS only.
  • iPhones do not support RCS and use SMS or iMessage depending on who you are texting.
  • Turning off RCS means you lose read receipts and typing indicators but gain compatibility with older phones and carriers.
  • If you switch messaging apps, your RCS setting may change because each app manages it separately.

How to turn off RCS on Android with Google Messages

Google Messages is the default messaging app on many Android phones and has the clearest RCS control. Open Google Messages, tap the three-line menu icon (hamburger menu) in the top left, then select Settings. Tap Advanced, then look for Enable Chat Features or RCS. Toggle it off. Your phone will now send SMS messages instead of RCS.

If you do not see this option, your carrier may not support RCS, or your phone may not have it enabled yet. You can also check by going to Settings > Apps > Google Messages > Permissions to confirm the app has the access it needs. If RCS is grayed out or missing, contact your carrier to ask whether they support it in your area.

How to turn off RCS on other Android messaging apps

If you use Samsung Messages, Verizon Messages, or another carrier-specific app, the path is similar but the menu names differ. Open your messaging app, go to Settings, look for Chat, Advanced, or More, and find the toggle for RCS, Chat Features, or Enhanced Messaging. Turn it off.

Some carriers bury this setting deeper. If you cannot find it in the app itself, go to your phone's main Settings > Apps > Messages (or your carrier's app name) > Permissions and check whether the app has permission to use your phone number and contacts. Disabling those permissions can also prevent RCS from working, though it may limit other features.

What happens on iPhone

iPhones do not support RCS at all. If you are texting another iPhone user, your phone uses iMessage, which is Apple's proprietary system with read receipts and typing indicators. If you text an Android user or someone without iMessage, your iPhone automatically sends an SMS instead. You cannot turn on RCS on an iPhone because Apple has not adopted the standard.

If you want to force your iPhone to use only SMS and never iMessage, go to Settings > Messages and toggle off iMessage. This will make all your texts send as SMS, even to other iPhone users. This is useful if you are switching to Android and want to avoid the blue-bubble-to-green-bubble problem where iMessages fail to deliver to your new Android phone.

Why you might want to turn off RCS

RCS offers nicer features, but SMS is more reliable in some situations. If your carrier has spotty RCS support, messages may fail to send or arrive late. Some older phones or carriers do not recognize RCS messages at all, so the recipient may not get them. Switching to SMS ensures your messages reach anyone with any phone.

RCS also requires a data connection (WiFi or mobile data), while SMS works on voice-only plans and in areas with no data coverage. If you travel internationally or use a basic phone plan, SMS is often the safer choice. Some people also prefer SMS because it does not show typing indicators or read receipts, which they find intrusive.

What changes when you switch to SMS

When RCS is off, you lose several features. Read receipts (the checkmarks showing someone has read your message) will not appear. Typing indicators (the three dots showing someone is typing) will not show. Group messages will work differently — they will be individual SMS messages rather than a single RCS conversation. Photos and videos will be compressed to fit SMS limits, so quality will be lower.

On the other hand, SMS messages are smaller and faster to send, they work on any phone, and they do not require data. Your messages will also not fail if the recipient's phone is temporarily offline, because SMS stores on the carrier's network and delivers when they reconnect.

If you switch messaging apps

If you change from Google Messages to Samsung Messages, or from your carrier's app to a third-party app like WhatsApp or Telegram, your RCS setting may not carry over. Each app manages RCS independently. When you switch apps, check the new app's settings and turn off RCS there if you want SMS only.

Some third-party apps do not support RCS at all — WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal use their own encrypted systems instead. If you switch to one of these, you are already using a different messaging system entirely, not SMS or RCS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person I am texting know I switched from RCS to SMS?

No. They will see your messages arrive as regular texts instead of RCS messages, but they will not receive a notification that you changed settings. If they were seeing read receipts before, those will stop appearing, but they will not know why.

Can I turn RCS back on after I turn it off?

Yes. Go back to the same settings menu and toggle RCS back on. It may take a few minutes for your phone to reconnect to RCS after you turn it on again.

What if RCS is off but I still see chat features?

You may be using iMessage (on iPhone) or a different messaging system like WhatsApp. Check which app is your default messaging app in your phone's settings. If you are using a third-party app, it has its own features separate from RCS.

Does turning off RCS save battery or data?

Slightly. RCS uses a data connection, so disabling it means your phone does not need to maintain that connection. The difference is usually small unless you send many messages. SMS uses almost no data and works on voice-only plans.

Why is my RCS toggle grayed out?

Your carrier may not support RCS in your area, or your phone may not have activated it yet. Contact your carrier to ask if RCS is available on your plan and in your location. Some carriers only offer it on certain phone models or plans.