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  • Using RCS with Google Messages on GrapheneOS

Sbpr Ok so you have to be signed into the Google Play store on your main profile? That might be an issue, because I'm reeeeaally trying not to be signed into Google on my Graphene phone..

Sbpr may start removing permissions until something breaks

I would be curious if you sign out of your Google account whether it continues to work, if you're up to experiment!

6 days later

Okay what worked for me was the below as I had it working originally off the bat so I disabled and just re-enabled:

-turned off RCS
-cleared cache (messages and Google Play)
-deleted google messages
-downloaded messages (would only open on fresh install with compatibility mode)
-Google services framework / Google play services only have network and phone (SMS for play services)
-Google messages has network, phone, sms
-Google Sanboxed - option - messages and confirm number with google (toggled on)
-back to RCS and it connected
-Google Sandbox - toggled off confirm number with google

-Day 7 going strong and still enabled with RCS and kept compatibility mode enabled so might be the precursor here!

On Mint Mobile / Pixel 8 Pro / Aurora Store for messages app! On current GOS build!

    Audi123 Google Sandbox - toggled off confirm number with google

    What app exactly is this in? I can't find this setting anywhere

      hemlockiv

      Go to:

      1. -settings
      2. -apps
      3. -Sandboxed Google Play
      4. -Google settings
      5. -mobile data messaging
      6. -phone number verification
      7. -automatically verify phone number (toggle on)
      8. -RCS should verify
      9. Back to 7. And toggle off

      Hope this helps

      hemlockiv

      Plus to note I'm not logged into a google account at all! If you try what I did you may want to try installing carrier services (network and sms) permissions to at least getting RCS working.

      To boot I tried it again (turned off RCS) and all of the above and again got RCS working.

        Audi123 Thanks, I didn't even realize Sandboxed Google Play had its own settings there! One more question: When you toggled on "Confirm number with google," did RCS connect immediately, or did it still take some time? My Google Messages settings shows RCS is still at the dreaded Status: Setting up... stage :(

        [unknown]

        Mine worked almost instantaneously! Try to deregister from RCS and start fresh! I'm not sure why you can't get it to work!

        [unknown] Yeah, it was stuck on verifying, so I uninstalled it and did the old method of installing the outdated beta version, manually setting my ACS url, then updating to the latest app version, and that made it connect immediately. In the past, when I enabled RCS with that method, it disconnected after 3 days, but I'm hoping that the added change of enabling Sandboxed Google Play > Confirm number with Google (which I am just going to leave toggled ON, just to be safe) will be what is required to make it stable. I am on Verizon, and I suspect it is Verizon's implementation of RCS that is less stable than other carriers'.

        I'll report back in 4 days about whether it worked or not.

          None of these methods seem to work for me. I re flashed the factory Google image back on my phone and it worked almost instantly, logged into Google, and logged into RCS was connected in Google Messages just to test. Then I re flashed factory GOS back onto phone, because I actually want to run GOS.

          From fresh factory reset:

          1. Install "Google Play services" from Apps
          2. Sign in to Google Play to get Google messages installed
          3. Permissions (these are the defaults):
            • Google Services Framework (com.google.android.gsf): Network, Sensors
            • Google Play services (com.google.android.gms): Network, Sensors
            • Google Messages (com.google.android.apps.messaging): Camera, Contacts, Microphone, Music and audio, Network Phone, Photos and videos, Sensors SMS
          4. Do the Sandbox verification: Settings → Apps → Sandboxed Google Play → Google Settings → All Services → Mobile data & messaging → Phone Number Verification.
          5. A progress bar appears then the "Phone Number Verification" screen appears with a toggle "Automatically verify phone number(s). Switch on, press ←.
          6. Open Google Messages → Message Settings → RCS Chats → Turn on RCS chats
          7. I just then see Setting Up... "Verify your number", which comes up with a option to enter my number, when pressing that and input number "Verify your number" goes grey and it still says "Setting up..."

          Am I missing something?

          RCS used to work fine for the longest time. i've tried every suggestion i have seen on here, and it still wont work.

            hemlockiv Update: Like the last time I activated RCS using the beta+ACS hack, it disconnected after 3 days. This is even after granting all the permissions and allowing Sandboxed Google Play to confirm my phone number with google, which I was reeeaally hoping would make a difference. Oh well. I really suspect it's Verizon's fault

              Gangsturd only other variable in your setup would be to turn of exploit protection on all of them and try that.

              I tried a couple more things. I'm doing this in the owner profile.

              1. Removed my Google accounts and cleared app data of the following
                • Google Services Framework (com.google.android.gsf)
                • Google Play services (com.google.android.gms)
                • Google Messages (com.google.android.apps.messaging)
                • Carrier Services (com.google.android.ims)
              2. Disabled "Exploit protection compatibility mode" under each of the above.
              3. Not using WiFi, using direct data with carrier - though this made no difference when I tried it in standard factory OS.
              4. Reboot phone.

              Gangsturd That or grant all permissions to all gps,gsf,mes temporarly to see if that makes it happy.

              Doesn't even seem to request any permissions besides those are standard so it didn't make any difference.

              Gangsturd how google account cant be made with vpns or voice over ip numbers i think google help validate the rcs request knowing that.

              I'm not even using VPN. When I was connected to my WiFi network that routes over VPN it worked anyway with standard factory Google OS.

              Theawfulone RCS used to work fine for the longest time. i've tried every suggestion i have seen on here, and it still wont work.

              Yup, used to work for me then decided one day not to. It stopped working on my Pixel 7 Pro and my friend's at the same time. My other friend who has a Pixel 5 (it stopped working on his too).

              hemlockiv RCS using the beta+ACS hack,

              Can you provide detailed instructions like above. I'll see if that even works here.

                Removed multiple posts from a known troll, along with some posts replying to them. We apologize for not catching that sooner.

                SillySaurus Can you provide detailed instructions like above. I'll see if that even works here.

                See comment #184 above. But like I said I haven't gotten this method to work past the 4 day mark.

                By the way, something curious happened yesterday. I opened Messages and I got the RCS welcome flow,. e.g. "There's a better way to chat... More secure etc etc" or whatever exactly it says. I tapped through it excitedly, hoping that RCS had somehow activated again, but when I went to Messages Settings > RCS chats, it now just says, "RCS chats aren't available for this device." Going to Debug > RCS > Report RCS connection state, the first line says, "RCS is disabled for this carrier by Google." wtf??

                11 days later

                @Audi123 Could you check something real quick? I'm curious if there are some hidden permissions that might be affecting this. Could you please open an adb shell and run:
                for i in com.google.android.gms com.android.vending com.google.android.dialer com.google.android.apps.messaging; do echo '--------'; echo $i; appops get $i READ_DEVICE_IDENTIFIERS; done
                and paste your output in a comment here? (all this does is query the state of some google app permissions; it doesn't set or change anything on your device)

                9 days later
                • Edited

                I'm pretty sure RCS on Grapheneos is impossible at this point. "Google has begun implementing Play Integrity API attestation checks (popularly known as “SafetyNet checks,” inspired by the predecessor SafetyNet API) on the Google Messages app." Google spokesperson admitted they're doing this to "fight spammers."

                https://www.androidauthority.com/p-3421652/

                This is the same attestation that prevents things like Google Pay and some banking apps from working on grapheneos, right? If that's the case, RCS on grapheneos is dead in the water since grapheneos developers have said repeatedly that they won't play the cat and mouse game to get apps to work with this as it will take too much time and potentially erode security.

                Articles are also pointing out that unlike Google Pay/Wallet that notifies you that it won't work on custom Roms, Google Messages doesn't notify you but silently breaks RCS functionality, even if the app settings say RCS is enabled.

                  The last sentence of that article:

                  In the interim, you can use other messaging apps that support RCS.

                  Ok, but CAN you though? What other messaging apps?

                  ...also, if Messages is starting to do hardware attestation, why not simply install a slightly older of the app that doesn't have that API functionality?

                  Sbpr That's a good point. Even on something as simple as LineageOS I had to root the device and use Magisk to get RCS to work. So I had to make the phone much less secure in order to use their secure messaging app!

                  Upon the news that Google is purposely blocking custom roms from using RCS, should GrapheneOS officially list RCS as one of the Android features that won't work on it similar to Google Pay?

                  8 days later

                  Must be changes to the requirements as mentioned earlier.

                  https://pc-tablet.com/google-messages-rcs-fails-on-rooted-custom-rom-android-phones-an-in-depth-analysis/

                  Was working fine on my Pixel 7a with Graphene. I changed carriers and had to re-register RCS and now it fails to work. Didn't need to do anything special before, it just worked. Tried everything mentioned in this thread, along with trying older versions of Google Messages, no go.

                  I guess another push to convince people to just go to Signal.