Skip to main content

    Turn On RCS Texting Between iPhone and Android

    Learn what RCS messaging is and how to turn it on so texts between iPhone and Android include read receipts, better photo quality, and typing indicators.

    3 min read · 5 steps · Checked July 2026

    1. Step 1. Turn on RCS on iPhone

      Open Settings, tap Apps, tap Messages, and turn on 'RCS Messaging.' This option only appears on iPhones running a recent version of iOS and requires a supporting carrier.

    2. Step 2. Turn on RCS (Chat features) on Android

      Open the Google Messages app, tap your profile picture, tap Messages settings, then tap 'RCS chats' and make sure it's turned on.

    3. Step 3. Confirm it's working

      When texting between an iPhone and Android phone with RCS turned on for both, you should notice higher-quality photos, typing indicators, and read receipts compared to a standard green-bubble text.

      Quick Tip

      The message bubble color on iPhone may still appear green for Android contacts even with RCS turned on — that's normal and doesn't mean it isn't working.

    4. Step 4. Understand what RCS does not change

      RCS improves texting between iPhone and Android. But it doesn't turn on iMessage-exclusive features like Tapbacks appearing as text descriptions, or make Android messages show up as blue bubbles.

    5. Step 5. Know that RCS messages aren't end-to-end encrypted in every case

      As of now, RCS conversations between an iPhone and an Android phone are not guaranteed to be end-to-end encrypted the way iMessage-to-iMessage or many Android-to-Android RCS chats are, so avoid sending highly sensitive information over any text conversation, regardless of phone type.

    RCS, short for Rich Communication Services, is a newer texting standard that improves on old-fashioned SMS text messages when messaging between an iPhone and an Android phone. With RCS turned on, messages between the two types of phones can include higher-quality photos and videos, typing indicators that show when the other person is writing a reply, read receipts, and messages sent over Wi-Fi instead of relying only on cell signal.

    Before RCS support was added to iPhone, texts between iPhone and Android showed up as green bubbles with noticeably lower photo and video quality, and without any of these extra features. RCS doesn't replace iMessage between two iPhones — blue-bubble iMessage conversations already have similar features — but it greatly improves the experience specifically when texting between an iPhone and an Android phone.

    RCS needs to be turned on by both people in the conversation and requires both phones to be using a carrier and messaging app that supports it, which is now common but not universal. Source: support.apple.com/en-us/105580 and support.google.com/messages/answer/7189714.

    Official sources

    Still stuck?

    A real person can walk you through it over the phone.

    Get help from a person

    Related guides