To turn off RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging, follow these steps based on your device type:
On Android Devices
- Open the Messages app (often Google Messages).
- Tap your profile icon or the three-dot menu in the top right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Tap on Chat features or RCS chats.
- Toggle off the option labeled Turn on RCS chats or Enable chat features.
- Confirm if prompted to disable RCS messaging.
This will switch your messaging back to standard SMS/MMS and disable RCS features like typing indicators and read receipts
. If you use Samsung Messages, the steps are similar:
- Open Samsung Messages app.
- Tap the three-dot menu > Settings > Chat settings or Advanced messaging.
- Toggle off Rich Communication or RCS messaging
On iPhones
- Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Text messaging.
- Turn off the RCS messaging option.
Note: Apple started supporting RCS messaging only recently, so this option may appear on newer iPhones
How to Confirm RCS Is Off
When composing a message, if the send icon shows SMS instead of a lock or internet icon, RCS is disabled and your messages will be sent as standard SMS/MMS
. Disabling RCS is useful if you prefer traditional texting, want to avoid data usage, or face compatibility/privacy issues with RCS
