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  • Using RCS with Google Messages on GrapheneOS

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.

                                          7 days later

                                          I just had RCS stop working recently. I tried going through the initial setup steps again, but it didn't work. I then tried to uninstall Google Messages and unregistered my number here:

                                          https://messages.google.com/disable-chat

                                          Then I rebooted my phone and reinstalled Google Messages on cellular data (not WiFi, if that makes a difference). I already had given Google Play Services permission to read my device identifier and have Carrier Services installed. Within a few minutes of opening the app, Google Messages registered itself for RCS! I am not signed into any Google account on my device or in Google Messages.

                                          4 days later

                                          I changed my SIM recently and now it seems to be stuck on "RCS chats aren't available for this device". Through the debug menu, it shows 'No SIMs found' and 'RCS is disabled for this carrier by Google'.

                                          My new number is showing on my Google account, so it has successfully achieved auto-verification.

                                          I've gone through the RCS debug menu and tried everything... no change. Truly a nightmare experience.

                                          • Kras replied to this.

                                            abdullah Same thing happened to me recently when changing back to my regular SIM after travelling. I cleared storage and cache for Google Messages, the SIM was then detected and I could reactivate RCS.

                                                Kras I've tried that about 10 times now and nothing 😅 I'll give it a few days and try again. Thanks for sharing though!