This is turning into a big week for RCS messaging on Android, because just days after the four major U.S. carriers announced plans to roll out their own RCS service in 2020, a new trick has been discovered that can enable RCS messaging on your Android device right now.
Users on Reddit have found that you can enable RCS on any Android phone on any carrier using a simple set of steps. There are many users on the /r/UniversalProfile subreddit chiming in to say that the trick has worked for them on a range of Android devices and carriers.
Before you begin this process, you'll need to do a few things. You'll need to turn off Wi-Fi on your phone and you'll need to not only have Google's Messages app installed, you'll also need to enroll in the beta program for that app on the Play Store page. You'll need an app called Activity Monitor as well.
Here are the steps to follow once you've done all that:
There's also a YouTube tutorial available right here if you'd like a visual guide.
Google said earlier this year that it was going to begin taking RCS support on Android into its own hands by enabling it for users rather than waiting for the carriers to do it. But while Google began pushing RCS for Android users in the U.K. and France, we haven't heard much about the effort lately, and folks in the U.S. are still waiting for Google to do their thing.
With this trick, you don't have to wait for Google or for the U.S. carriers' own RCS service. There are several benefits that RCS has over standard SMS texting, including typing indicators, read receipts, and higher-quality photo and video sharing. So if that all sounds good to you, give this RCS trick a try and let us know how it works for you when you're done!
