Rich Communication Services (RCS)

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RCS (Rich Communication Services) upgrades your regular text messaging into a modern, interactive experience. With RCS, you can:

Send high-quality photos and videos

See when someone is typing

Receive read receipts

Use group messaging

Enjoy reliable delivery over WiFi or mobile data

RCS works automatically when both you and the person you’re messaging have compatible devices and carriers. If the other person doesn’t support RCS, your messages will fall back to standard SMS or MMS.

Enable RCS on your device

RCS is available on both Android phones (Android 9.0 and newer) and iPhones (iOS 18 or newer). For messages to send using RCS, both the sender and the receiver must have RCS enabled, and both carriers must support RCS.

If RCS isn’t available, messages will automatically send as standard SMS or MMS.

Using iPhone

Open Settings

Tap Apps

Select Messages

Tap RCS Messaging

Toggle RCS Messaging on for your SmartLess Mobile line

Important: Messages to and from other iPhones will still use iMessage. RCS messages to Android users will display in green, but you’ll now have a similar messaging experience across platforms.

On Android

Download Google Messages from the Google Play Store (if not already installed)

Open Google Messages

Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner

Select Messages settings

Tap General

Tap RCS chats

Toggle Turn on RCS chats on

Verify the status shows Connected

Turn off RCS on Android (optional)

Open Google Messages

Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner

Select Messages settings

Tap General

Tap RCS chats

Toggle Turn off RCS chats

Using RCS while traveling

RCS messages use data, so if you’re traveling abroad:

Standard RCS texts use minimal data

Sending large images, audio, or video can increase usage

Make sure your plan or Travel Pass covers your usage

Fallback to SMS

If your phone doesn’t have a data connection:

iPhone – Messages will automatically use SMS if iMessage and RCS aren’t available

Android – Messages will fall back to SMS automatically if RCS isn’t connected

Troubleshooting RCS

For help with RCS issues or more information, see: RCS Troubleshooting – SmartLess Mobile