You open a chat, and the compose box says “Text message” instead of “RCS message.” Typing indicators vanish. Photos arrive as blurry MMS. Your RCS connection dropped, and Google Messages rarely tells you why.
RCS has had a rough few months. In August 2026, Google confirmed an error 3100 bug that breaks RCS on new phones and after carrier switches. On October 2, 2026, it acknowledged a second bug that stops RCS media from sending. Some RCS failures are on your phone. Others sit on Google’s or your carrier’s servers, and no toggle on your end will fix them.
This guide shows you how to tell the difference first, then fix what you can.
Start Here: What Your RCS Status Tells You
Open Google Messages, tap your profile picture, then Messages settings > RCS chats (older versions call it Chat features). The status line under the toggle points to the broken layer:
| Status | What it means | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Connected | RCS works. If chats still fall back to SMS, the problem is the other person’s phone or a known bug | Known bugs section |
| Setting up / Verifying number | Google can’t verify your phone number | Fixes 1, 2, 4 |
| Disconnected | Your registration broke, often after an update or SIM change | Fixes 3, 4, 5 |
| Disabled by carrier or similar | Your carrier blocked or never provisioned RCS on your line | Fix 10 |
| Error 3100 or 3000 | Server connection or registration failure | Fixes 4, 7, 8 |
Google’s own community guide sets a clear threshold: if “Setting up” lasts more than a day, verification has failed. Waiting longer won’t help.
Is It You or Google? Known RCS Bugs as of October 2026
Check these before you spend an hour clearing data.
- Error 3100 after a new phone or carrier switch. Reports started in August 2026, mostly on Samsung phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy S26 Ultra set up with Smart Switch. Google blamed corrupted cache files carried over during transfer, or a number port that hadn’t finished. On August 20, Google said it was working with carrier partners on a fix.
- Photos, GIFs and stickers won’t send over RCS. Since late September, some users can’t send media to other Android phones over RCS, while media to iPhones goes through. Google said on October 2 that a fix will reach everyone “over the coming weeks.”
If your status reads Connected and only media fails, you’re likely hitting the second bug. Update Google Messages from the Play Store and turn on auto-updates so the fix lands sooner. Clearing data won’t speed it up.
10 Fixes for Google Messages RCS Not Working
Work through these in order. The first four solve most cases without deleting anything.
1. Check the Basics Google Assumes You’ve Covered
- Make Google Messages your default SMS app. On Galaxy phones, Samsung Messages stopped sending messages on July 6, 2026, so Google Messages is now the default whether you like it or not. If you’re still adjusting, here’s what happened to Samsung Messages and the app that brings its look back.
- Turn on mobile data. Verification works over your carrier connection. Wi-Fi alone often isn’t enough for first-time setup.
- Turn off any VPN during setup.
- Update three apps from the Play Store: Google Messages, Carrier Services and Google Play services.
2. Retry Number Verification
If you’re stuck on “Setting up,” go to Messages settings > RCS chats, tap Retry, and confirm your phone number when asked. Make sure the number shown matches your SIM exactly, including the country code.
3. Toggle RCS Off, Restart, Toggle It On
Turn off RCS chats, restart your phone, then turn it back on. This forces a fresh registration with Google’s servers and fixes most “Disconnected” errors.
4. Clear Carrier Services Data
This is Google’s official first-line fix for error 3100. Carrier Services is the background app that handles your RCS connection, and corrupted data there breaks RCS silently.
- Update Google Messages.
- Turn off RCS chats.
- Go to Settings > Apps > Carrier Services > Storage, then tap Clear storage (or Clear data).
- Restart your phone.
- Turn RCS chats back on.
Clearing Carrier Services doesn’t touch your messages. Give registration a few minutes before you judge the result.
5. Clear Google Messages Storage (Back Up First)
If Retry doesn’t appear or doesn’t help, Google suggests clearing the app’s storage and cache: Settings > Apps > Google Messages > Storage. Back up your messages first. One Android Authority reader fixed the media bug this way but lost their Photomoji tab, so treat this as a step with real costs.
6. Pick the Right SIM on Dual-SIM Phones
Google Messages supports RCS on both SIMs, but each one needs its own check. Under RCS chats, you’ll see both SIM cards with checkboxes. Tick the one you want (or both), and wait for each to show as connected. If you recently swapped SIMs between slots, toggle RCS off and on (Fix 3) so it re-registers on the correct slot.
7. Deregister Your Number and Start Fresh
When registration stays stuck after a phone switch or eSIM transfer, your number may still be tied to the old device. Turn off RCS on the old phone if you have it. If you don’t, open Google’s RCS deactivation page, enter your number, type the 6-digit code Google texts you, and tap Deactivate. Then turn RCS back on in the new phone.
One caveat worth knowing: Google removes you from RCS group chats if you don’t turn RCS back on within 30 days.
8. Send Feedback From the RCS Settings Page
If error 3100 persists, Google asks affected users to submit feedback from the RCS settings screen. That report includes diagnostic logs that engineers use to trace server-side failures. It won’t fix your phone today, but it’s the only path that puts your specific case in front of Google.
9. Try the VPN Trick (Unconfirmed)
Reddit users report this sequence: turn off RCS, connect to a VPN server (Paris is the popular pick, though other regions reportedly work), turn RCS on, wait for it to connect, then disconnect the VPN. Nobody, including Google, has explained why it works, so try it only after the official fixes fail.
10. Call Your Carrier
Some problems only your carrier can fix: RCS never provisioned on your line, a number port still in progress, or a prepaid plan without RCS support. In Google’s own response to one Verizon user, the cause was an unfinished port from AT&T. Ask the carrier to confirm your port completed and to re-provision RCS, then repeat Fix 3.
One Fix to Skip: Downgrading Google Messages
Older guides suggest rolling back to a previous Messages version. Don’t. A Google employee warned that installing older versions can wipe the app’s database and permanently erase your messages.
Switching Phones? Turn Off RCS First
Most 2026 RCS failures started with a device or carrier switch, so the order of steps matters:
- Turn off RCS chats on your old phone before you transfer anything.
- Finish the transfer or carrier port.
- Turn RCS on in the new phone only after your carrier confirms the port succeeded.
Transfers caused a second headache in September 2026. Google confirmed a bug that attached old texts from unrelated chats to new messages after a device transfer, and it rolled out a fix over the following weeks. Keep Google Messages updated right after any phone switch.
The Per-Contact SMS Switch Is Going Away
Today, you can force a single contact to SMS with Only send SMS and MMS messages in that chat’s settings. It’s the cleanest workaround when RCS fails with one person.
Google hasn’t announced a date, and teardown code doesn’t always ship. If it does, your choices shrink to RCS on for everyone or off for everyone, with automatic SMS fallback only when an RCS message fails.
RCS Works, but iPhone Chats Don’t?
If your status says Connected and only iPhone conversations misbehave, the fault usually sits on the iPhone side, such as a number still registered to iMessage or RCS turned off in iOS. Our guide to fixing an Android phone that isn’t receiving texts from an iPhone covers each case.
Encrypted iPhone-to-Android RCS is also still in beta. It needs iOS 26.5 or later, the latest Google Messages and carrier support, and a lock icon confirms when a chat is encrypted. If you’re unsure whether a message used RCS at all, the label in the compose box and the check marks in Google Messages tell you.
The Bottom Line
When RCS disappears from Google Messages, start with the status line, not a factory reset. It tells you whether to retry verification, clear Carrier Services, call your carrier or wait for Google. In late 2026, waiting is a real answer: error 3100 and the media bug both trace back to Google’s and carriers’ systems. Fix what’s on your phone, keep the app updated, and send feedback so your case counts.
Usually minutes. If “Setting up” lasts more than a day, verification failed. Use Fix 2 or Fix 4.
No. Clearing Google Messages storage can, so back up first.
Not immediately. Deactivating your number through Google’s page removes you from RCS groups if RCS stays off for more than 30 days.
