Rich Communication Services (RCS)

What is RCS? 

RCS – which stands for Rich Communication Services – turns regular old texting into super-powered instant messaging. You get all the features you’d expect from services like iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger—things like group chats, high-quality photos, read receipts, and typing indicators. These features use your phone’s data connection (either WiFi or your SmartLess Mobile plan) instead of traditional SMS and MMS. 

Compatibility and enabling RCS 

RCS is available for both Android phones (Android 9.0 and newer) and iPhones (iOS 18). For your messages to send via RCS, both the sender and receiver must have RCS enabled, and carriers for both parties must support it. Luckily, many carriers all around the world have adopted RCS, and many phones come with RCS enabled by default. 

Turning RCS on is pretty simple! Here’s how to supercharge your messaging experience with RCSs. 

iPhone 

1. Settings 

2. Apps 

3. Messages 

4. RCS Messaging 

5. Toggle the RCS Message switch to turn RCS on  

Fun fact: If you have an iPhone and use iMessage (who doesn’t?), don’t worry, messages to and from other iPhones will still be blue. Messages sent via RCS will stray green, but now the experience between Apple and Android users will feel a lot more similar. 

Android 

1. Download Google Messages from the Google Play Store 

2. Open Google Messages 

3. Tap your profile picture/icon (top right) 

4. Messages settings 

5. Tap General

6. Tap RCS chats 

7. Toggle "Turn on RCS chats" on

RCS when traveling 

RCS is a data-based messaging service, like iMessage, WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger. That means they count as data usage. RCS text messages don’t use much data, but if you send and share a lot of images, audio, or video, it’ll start to add up. Hey, we get it, who doesn’t like sharing their travel experiences with loved ones? Check out our travel passes to make sure you stay connected, even when you’re half a world away.  

If you’d prefer to stick to SMS instead while traveling abroad, we won’t stop you! Here’s how to set up your phone to do just that. 

iPhone 

If iMessage and RCS are both set up on your iPhone, it’ll try those two options first, but if you don’t have a data connection when you’re out exploring the city, it’ll fall back to sending your messages over SMS which can work without a mobile data connection.

Android 

If RCS is enabled on your phone, Messages will try to send over RCS first. But if you’re out exploring and don’t have a data connection, it’ll automatically fall back to SMS—so your messages can still go through, even without mobile data.

1. Open Google Messages 

2. Tap your profile picture/icon (top right) 

3. Messages settings 

4. Tap General

5. Tap RCS Chats

6. Toggle the RCS Message switch to turn RCS off 

 

Remember to check your plan to make sure you’ve got what you need – you can do that by logging into MyAccount or downloading the SmartLess Mobile app.