Using RCS with Google Messages on GrapheneOS

jeffcodes

strife-john-frozen
I stopped trying and have accepted that RCS is lost for me; though, when I was still making attempts to fix the problem, each attempt would cycle through "Connecting," "Waiting to reconnect," and "Device does not meet security requirements" as the responses (or similar responses). The latter becoming more frequent as I kept attempting.
My last 2 tries were using a different google accounts and those both instantly blamed the device incompatibility. Pretty sure a Pixel 7 is fine... Mint Mobile, too, for reference.
RIP RCS

SkyHawkNW

Hey all, just wanted to add another data point to the thread. I first noticed that I was Unable to send RCS messages on Tuesday 9/9. I am on Verizon with my RCS Status listed as connected. But one interesting thing that happened to me on Thursday evening (9/11), my phone died and after charging it and powering it back up I received all of the messages that were backlogged on RCS since that Tuesday when I first noticed that I couldn't receive/send anything. I have tried to reproduce this but I have been unsuccessful so far.

eatinggrumble84

SkyHawkNW I have been receiving texts in a RCS group, but only from the iphone user in the group. I cannot see the texts from the two Android users who are not on GrapheneOS nor having RCS issues. Also I cannot send any texts in the group with it saying that the chat is unavailable with my RCS turned off even though it is on and stuck on "Setting up... ". Everyone in this group is on T-Mobile including the iphone user. So I do suspect it is somehow a Google issue since the iphone texts are being received by me.

naibed

Pixel 7A that lost RCS 1-2 weeks ago. Basically excommunicated me from all my group chats overnight smh.

Since I'm basically using SMS now, I'm slowly going to pivot away from the Google Messages webpage and towards KDEConnect's SMS app... If this is an indefinite issue, I want to start weaning myself off Messages ASAP. MIght even go as far as using the clunky GOS messaging app soon lol.

strife-john-frozen

eatinggrumble84 i think the T-Mobile issue is seperate and doesn't have anything to do with GrapheneOS.
There is another issue though that is related to GrapheneOS, see my post above.

de0u

strife-john-frozen Can you share any text that shows when you press the "Details" button?

strife-john-frozen

de0u
Sorry, I don't know how to embed images. I have uploaded it here: https://ibb.co/cKxwJr9F

de0u

strife-john-frozen Thanks!

The forum doesn't support embedding.

HecticHector

In Australia Googlies have restricted access and only providing google devices using stock. Its now up to the carrier services here to supply RCS tech. Not many, if any, besides Telstra have RCS set up.
Here carrier services claim to be working on it and will have it released soon.
Not having encrypted messages in an OS is crazy for 2025.

whoiswes

FYI, I did revert one of my Pixel 8's back to stock, after switching my eSIM (US Mobile, which MNVO's all three big US networks) rom TMobile to Verizon. Initially I wasn't successful in connecting, but when I switched BACK to TMobile, RCS connected immediately.

One thing I did notice - the carrier settings version that was delivered to Graphene was dated February 19 - the stock version was dated June 05.

I then tried reverting back to Graphene, and the carrier settings reverted as well. I tried to see if USM could reprovision on their end but they indicated everything is set correctly. It wouldn't surprise me if that was the culprit but without a way to force those settings to update I can't say for sure.

In any case, back to stock on my wife's phone for now, as she relies on RCS for work. Happy to debug if anyone has any suggestions!

Amuser6949

whoiswes So RCS is currently working for you on T-Mobile's network properly? I'm also on US Mobile and on Verizon's network- RCS shows as "connected" but demonstrably does not work. I'll switch over to T-Mobile's network if it's functional there.

ButtholeBlackhole

As someone who has no idea how RCS works on the carrier side.... Why isn't it possible for someone to write an open source RCS background service that connects to the carrier provided RCS like iOS does? As far as I know iOS doesn't need to activate with Google or connect directly to Jibe. They just use whatever RCS the carrier itself has available (which is usually Jibe on the backend but that's irrelevant). Surely it's not impossible to reverse engineer what iOS is doing to connect.

Then other apps (like Textra or the stock GOS messenger) could use that background service via an api to send and receive RCS messages.

jeffcodes

ButtholeBlackhole

That link didn't work... Scroll up to post 845.
TL; DR
Infrastructure, and costs associated with communicating with mobile carriers.

jeffcodes

ButtholeBlackhole
That backend API isn't free, that's what you're missing. And isn't cheap.

benwaffle

ButtholeBlackhole As someone who has no idea how RCS works on the carrier side.... Why isn't it possible for someone to write an open source RCS background service that connects to the carrier provided RCS like iOS does? As far as I know iOS doesn't need to activate with Google or connect directly to Jibe

iOS does connect directly to Jibe servers for US carriers, and uses GSMA spec-compliant RCS, but it requires App Attest (like play integrity for iOS)

ButtholeBlackhole

jeffcodes Did you reply to the wrong person or something? Or link the wrong reply? What am I supposed to take from that?

ButtholeBlackhole

jeffcodes

Infrastructure, and costs associated with communicating with mobile carriers.

I thought that was only relevant to running your own interop server. I'm talking about connecting to the RCS server the carrier provides like Apple does. Apple doesn't run their own RCS server.

jeffcodes

ButtholeBlackhole

It doesn't work that way.

Your phone can't just connect to the RCS networks. It has to be registered with a trusted partner. That partner is vouching for you, essentially, and then you can connect to the wider network.
RCS is a standard and operated by GSMA. That's who you register your server with, basically. It's sort of federated, if you understand how that works.
Google is a partner. Apple. Verizon. T-Mobile. ATT. Twilio. Etc. When messages to between them, they also charge each other carrier fees.
Blah blah blah, the rest you can find online.

sbarnard86

I downloaded RCS and whatnot to test it out and get away from regular old SMS. I don't have a google account and I got it downloaded just fine, but it's been saying it's trying to verify my number for over an hour now. I use ATT in the US. I also downloaded the carrier services app, as I saw that it might be required.
Does it just take a while to get the number verified? Or did I do something wrong, perhaps? Or is it just a bug? TIA 🙏

de0u

sbarnard86 I downloaded RCS and whatnot to test it out and get away from regular old SMS.

Arguably the past week or so of posts in this thread suggests that this is a very bad time for that particular experiment.

sbarnard86

de0u thanks, I kinda got that vibe in what I gleaned in the comments I did see, but then I realized they were older. Maybe I'll just hold off, then. Thanks for your response! You've been very helpful.

de0u

Twlight-Princess I want to give google messages a shot again, as for the past years Ive been using the AOSP SMS app and its God awfulness.

See this recent post in this thread: de0u.

whoiswes

Amuser6949

Yes, RCS on TMobile on stock android is currently working without issue.

Verizon did not connect to RCS on either Graphene or stock. I didn't spend a lot of time debugging and pretty much immediately switched back to TMobile, which immediately connected on stock. But reinstalling Graphene after the success resulted in the older carrier settings version and back to status 3000 with no successful connect.

I did also put my wife's Pixel 8a back to stock last night, and RCS immediately connected as well on TMobile. I never tried moving her network, and I haven't tried AT&T at all.

I have 4 total Pixels in the house so if anyone wants me to try anything, let me know. I'm half-tempted to grab another just as a testbed that I can screw with at will because now I'm mad and want to solve this.

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