Here is how to activate Google Messages RCS feature anywhere in the world

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There are many smartphone users who might want to use the Google messaging service on their devices just like WhatsApp or Telegram. As of now, users in many technologically advanced countries such as the U.S. still can’t do it. This is because, in order to do that, they have to activate “rich communication services”, known as RCS in short. Upon activating the RCS, the default text messaging app in your Android phone will work like chat-based messaging services such as WhatsApp or Telegram and it will include features such as audio and video messages, group chats, interactive content, etc.

However, there is a technical barrier to activate the RCS messaging service. It needs both Google support and carrier support to turn it on. To date, with Google support, the RCS messaging system has only been enabled for users in the U.K. and France. We are not yet sure when RCS will be enabled worldwide.

Nevertheless, if you are bored with sending simple SMS and keen on turning on the RCS for your Google messaging services app, you can do so forcefully by following the below-mentioned steps. While doing that you do not need to care whether the carrier has turned the service on.

Time needed: 15 minutes.

GMessage: how to fix Google's messaging madness — a UX exploration | by  Noah Semus | UX Collective
Google Messages

Activate Google Messages RCS service anywhere in the world

  1. Register for the Google Messages beta version in Google Play. Please note that you can’t enable the RCS in the standard Google Messages app but download the beta version of the app. Download the beta version by clicking the ‘Join Beta Program’ option on the app page
  2. You also need to download the Activity Launcher from the Google Play Store app which will help you make a few modifications to the Messaging app.
  3. Install the Carrier Services app from Play Store.
    You would also need to enable all the permissions for this app. Go to Settings> Apps> Select Carrier Services and then choose Permissions. Enable all the permissions. You can also choose to skip enabling all the permissions, but the process goes smoothly if you don’t.
  4. Turn off the device’s Wi-Fi as it can mess up the process to turn the RCS feature on.
  5. Open the Activity Launcher app, go to the drop-down menu, and select Activities.
  6. Scroll down and select Messages, then choose Set RCS Flags.
  7. Open the drop-down list below the ACS Url and select the option mentioned as ‘’//rcs-acs-prod-us.sandbox.google.com.’’
  8. Open the drop-down list below the OTP Pattern and tap on the option mentioned as “Your\sMessenger\sverification\scode\sis\sG-(\d{6}).” Then, click on the Apply button.
    You may or may not have to do this. You can skip this step for now if you want and come back to it later if the process doesn’t work.
  9. You need to force close the messaging app on your phone. To do so, you need to navigate to Settings > Apps & Notifications> View all apps > Messages and then tap on the Force Close button. Alternatively, you can do it by long-pressing the Messages app icon and choosing either Info or “i” and then click on the Force Close option.
  10. Re-open the Messages app. After re-opening, you will see a message at the bottom of the page that will ask you to set up Chat and upgrade. You have to accept it by selecting “upgrade now”. Follow the setup process thereafter.
  11. Turn on WiFi and wait for a few minutes. You can now check the working status of the RCS by clicking the three dots in the top-right and then go to Settings > Chat features. If the status field says “Connected” you’ll be confirmed that RCS is working. You can select other features such as Send Receipts at this point.

It is quite possible that you may not succeed in the first attempt. You can repeat the steps again and again unless RCS is turned on. It is to be noted that since force activation of RCS is done using the beta version of the Google Messaging app, it might not work in the future when Google scraps the beta testing option for the app.

Sushant Gupta
Sushant Gupta
More than just Gadgets and Gaming enthusiast, a die-hard techy, interested in anything tech be it PCs, gaming consoles, gadgets, sports, just pop it up. Bottom line is I am a technology purist at heart

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