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  • Using RCS with Google Messages on GrapheneOS

So just want to give an update that might help some people. I was helping a family member get RCS to work and even after doing everything in this thread, it still wouldn't turn on even after repeating the steps over and over, and reinstalling everything from scratch.

What did get it to turn on was temporarily giving play services, Google, and messages access to All photos/media/audio instead of just relying on storage scopes. I then redid the steps and it worked immediately. I then restricted it back to storage scopes and uninstalled everything I added and RCS has been going strong ever since. Given this, it might make sense to setup RCS before you move over any sensitive files.

In summary here's what I did:

On the Owner profile:

  • install esim and reboot
  • install Play Services and Play Store from GrapheneOS App store and allow notifications.
  • login to a Google account
  • install Google from Play Store
  • give play services and Google access to notifications, network, sms, phone, contacts (or contact scopes), and all photos/files all the time.
  • Added phone number to automatic phone verification in the Google settings in settings -> Apps -> sandboxed Play Services -> Other
  • install Google Messages from Play Store
  • give Google Messages notifications, network, sms, phone, contacts (or contact scopes), all photos/media/audio always.
  • open Google Messages and let it do initial run through
  • close messages
  • reopen messages and go to settings to enable RCS.

For some carriers, it might already be working. Otherwise:

  • turn off RCS in messages
  • reboot phone
  • install app opps and shizuku. I installed them from the aurora store.
  • follow in app instructions to get them working
  • enable read hardware/device identifiers in both Messages and Play Services. (It may already be toggled on for Messages).
  • open messages
  • turn on RCS

This is when it immediately started working for me.

If it still doesn't work, you may want to try installing Carrier Services from the Play Store and trying this again.

After I got it working, I uninstalled App opps and shizuku, uninstalled the Google app, and restricted the storage permissions for Play Services and Messages to storage scopes.

I also was able to remove the Phone and Contacts permission from play services (not messages) without issues.

I also removed the Automatic Phone number verification and so far no issues after a week.

I should mention that I'm using a logged in Google account for this and installed everything from the Play Store unless I mentioned otherwise.

    OfflinePuffin Sorry to reply so late, been busy and was on a cruise with no internet for a bit. But what number do I contact, as the Google help forums seem to have a phobia of giving information, and the only number I can seem to find are this (650) 253-0000 (Headquarters) or this (866) 246-6453 (Is it legit?). I made a post on the Google help community and like many others for RCS issues, it's been ignored.

    I also tried to follow @DirtyDan post and even restarted after trying his steps, but no dice, didn't connect within 10-20 mins.

        Novastatic I have never reached out over the phone... (650) 253-0000 is the one I can find. Not sure how far you will get.

        Do you have another phone around where you can pop your sim in and got through the process without use shizuku or any adb commands or mod apps

          Anyone can point out the most up-to-date steps that work to make RCS work in Google Messages please ?

          DirtyDan

          RCS just stopped working on my phone after going strong for awhile. I didn't change anything except for doing a GrapheneOS system update, though it was still working for a few hours after the update. I confirmed with app opps that messages and play services can still read hardware identifiers..

          I reinstalled Google, allowed my number to be automatically verified with Google again, and handed over all the positions to messages, play services, and Google (replacing storage scopes with full storage access), cleared cache for messages, reinstalled messages, and restarted my phone a few times.

          No dice so far. Any suggestions? Did anyone else lose RCS recently?

              DirtyDan mine is still working

              When you redid the setup process, did you de-register your number first?

                  biscuit_tosser_88 Thank you

                  OfflinePuffin

                  by deregister, do you mean turn off RCS in Google Messages? I did that.

                  I ended up getting it working, but I had to completely uninstall play services and Google messages and then redid the setup process from scratch that I outlined in an earlier comment.

                  Part of me is thinking this happened because I turned off the automatic phone number verification Apps -> Sandboxed Google play -> Google Settings since I thought it wasn't necessary.

                  After I got RCS working the first time, I thought I could turn it off after getting RCS to work initially. But I guess Google tried to do another phone number verification, it failed, and then RCS stopped working. After redoing everything after reinstalling play services, I received an SMS message saying "Google is verifying the phone# of this device as part of setup. Learn more: [link]"

                  And then just like that, RCS was enabled again.

                  If my theory is correct, the only thing that I'm still trying to figure out is why I had to re-install Play Services and messages to get it to do this check since I had already toggled it on earlier with no effect.

                  I'm also not sure why it needs to be enabled for RCS to work on GrapheneOS, but I never had it toggled on when I was on stock and RCS worked just fine.

                        DirtyDan That's good to hear you got it working! Could you list the necessary permissions you enabled during the process? Thank you

                            4 days later

                            • pfr

                              • Post #564
                              • Edited

                              When I anable the debug mode with *xyzzy* and check Report RCS Connection State it says

                              Carrier RCS is not set up
Transport: UNKNOWN
ACS url: [not connected]
PCSCF: NOT_AVAILABLE
Sub Id: 2
SIM Slot: 2
SIM Carrier: Your provider
SIM Nmber: 
Rcs Apk: Bugle
Rcs BOE: Optimized
GmsBinding: Enabled
App StanfBy Bucket: 10
Background Restricted: false
Etouffee provisioned: false

                              I take it that maybe RCS need's to be enabled by my network carrier?

                                pfr From what I'm seeing here, it seems like it. You could always reach out to your carrier and check.

                                  10 days later

                                  Tried setting up in a second user profile using all the suggestions in this thread and rcs is enabled in settings and I see my number but I can only send sms/mms. Debug says-

                                  RCS is disabled for secondary user.
                                  Transport: UNKNOWN
                                  ACS url: [not connected]
                                  PCSCF: NOT_AVAILABLE
                                  Sub Id: 1
                                  SIM Slot: 1
                                  SIM Carrier: T-Mobile Wi-Fi Calling
                                  SIM Number: phone number is showing
                                  Rcs Apk: Bugle
                                  Rcs BOE: Optimized
                                  GmsBinding: Enabled
                                  App StanfBy Bucket: 10
                                  Background Restricted: false
                                  Etouffee provisioned: false

                                  It's like it's enabled but it's not at the same time

                                    Daxard I've been told in the Matrix chat room that RCS will only work in the main profile.

                                        job_shredder69 Ah bummer, thanks for letting me know. I'm not on matrix but I guess I should be since I'm trying non typical stuff. I wonder if it will ever become doable in a second user profile or work profile. Cheers.

                                          I was just thinking if It was possible to use Google messages in a web browser on my phone to use RCS messaging. I'm going to give it a try and report back.

                                            Novastatic Back after 24 days, I had given up and forgot about this. Now it's magic working again today, and I can verify cause I sent a text to my mom and we both see it as RCS.

                                            My previous steps were based from other posts I saw, and were still enabled at time of enabling:

                                            • Allowing almost all permissions to Google Messages (even audio, mic, camera, etc.)

                                            • Read device identifiers via Permission Manager X (Shizuku and AppOps would've worked too)

                                            • Network for Carrier Services (but phone permission wasn't on?)

                                            • Play Services has contacts, network, phone, photos/videos, notifs, and sms. I might take away phone/video and contacts later

                                            • I saw CarrierConfig2 in system apps and deleted the data for the app. Only permissions was the default sensors

                                            • Sandboxed Play Store only has Network and Notifs

                                            • I did have auto phone number verification on

                                            • I deregistered my number on iPhone weeks ago, probably around the same time of my last post (3 weeks) so maybe that caused issues

                                            • I had the official Google app from the Play Store, but I'm definitely gonna delete it. It had almost all permissions, can't remember which ones

                                            Maybe the magic really is waiting a few days to a week, but that sucks man. Hope this lasts, I'll see if updates break it or not.

                                            Edit: I also changed my Data to use 5G instead of LTE only, but RCS set up while having both data and WiFi on. I normally have my phone on Wi-Fi and airplane mode to ensure data isn't being used, so idk if that causes issues with RCS. Obviously, my VPN and Killswitch was turned off.

                                            I cleared the data and cache of Messages, carrier services, that CarrierConfig2 system app I mentioned, and rebooted before I checked.

                                              9 days later

                                              I unregistered from RCS messages last night on my old phone, but never got a message saying it took or was successful, so I guess that's in process?

                                              So I tried the above steps and didn't have any luck. RCS won't even let me toggle it on or off and in the Advanced settings it just says "unknown." When I type in my phone number it will temporarily take, but clear when I back out and go back into the Advanced settings. Very annoying.

                                              Guessing maybe the deregister window might not have passed yet or is there something I'm missing?

                                                reluctantrecluse Edit: Scratch that. Of course as soon as I make an account to post here it just decides to work... Patience is a virtue.