Using RCS with Google Messages on GrapheneOS

EndoPlant

My experience has been similar to those above. I've tried following the instructions to the word, installing carrier services, reinstalling google messages (from play store), enabling permissions before/after first boot, setting as default before/after first boot, clearing data+cache, etc etc. I always end up with Error 4006 no matter what I do. I have not been able to achieve a "Connected" status while unable to send RCS messages like some others here.

I greatly appreciate the effort put in by the team to support RCS and Google Messages, and hope we can figure out why it's not working for many of us soon.

GrapheneOS

We think Google Messages needs Play services to have some additional access for a subset of users and are looking into it.

cvsickle

GrapheneOS Thanks for all the work you guys are putting into this.

patienttruth99

GrapheneOS is it still helpful to send logs in? I've been through a few iterations of clearing cache and data with that once where it went green but not sending RCS. Now it's getting stuck on a 4006 code. And should they get sent to that email a ways up the thread?

5rlyn

cvsickle seconded - like I said above, sadly we have to meet people where they're at from a messaging standpoint, and this will help greatly.

spl4tt

mousetrapreplica You seem to be correct. It says it's connected, but it only works with sms still, even with my friend who has a stock p10 pro with rcs enabled as well

de0u

spl4tt It says it's connected, but it only works with sms still, even with my friend who has a stock p10 pro with rcs enabled as well

Which carrier is your friend using? Has your friend reported this to that carrier?

spl4tt

de0u We're on the same carrier, and the carrier says rcs is enabled on their side.

Twlight-Princess

naibed 100% agree with this. I wouldn't mind some sort of guide of sandbox permission, here's baseline minimum what permission you need to get messages, dialer, maps etc working. you play around with the rest on your own. even if we came together and made some sort of community guide. I wouldn't mind using some google apps but here what you can do either minimize the evasiveness of google and you can turn everything off and use this app. Like I use gboard and I have nothing allowed and camera ask every time. and I read somewhere back when I got started on grapheneos that you could use gboard with no permissions.

GrapheneOS

Carrier Services does not appear to be required by Google Messages for RCS and we recommend uninstalling it. We've determined that there's likely another sandboxed Google Play workaround require which will potentially require a toggle for granting special access to use RCS.

Overeager3470

GrapheneOS

so another update?
or further instructions to come?

also i was able to get RCS enabled (but not functional, just SMS) without Phone permission for Play Services
i think it happened by accident because clearing Play Services app data and cache for RCS to activate resets permissions and at least for me, removed the Phone permission but it worked, RCS did toggle to enabled

just thought i'd let you know now that it's been determined Carrier Services isn't needed and it might not matter if messages was side loaded or not

GrapheneOS

It also doesn't appear to matter how Google Messages is installed, although we recommend using the sandboxed Play Store to make sure it gets installed properly.

nineTHRTY

This may be off topic. But this matter getting high attention from GrapheneOS is worth a donation :)

owend30

nineTHRTY I just donated because of this too, thanks @GrapheneOS :-)

Byron

Pixel 8
GrapheneOS
2025092700 stable
"Official support for RCS in google messages"

Google Messages
20250922...
RCS shows as green "connected"
Only SMS send (not RCS)
Debug mode xyzzy menu shows "etouffee false"(!)

Carrier
Spusu UK
(Never did have MMS, but,)
understanding RCS [now] independent of carrier(?)

...Google messages only works as an SMS client. Expected behaviour is RCS capability. From other posts it seems "etouffee true" might be required... (?)

Patiently waiting and hoping for fix 🙏🏻

5rlyn

Turned off RCS for the time being because I noticed the "retry" intervals were getting longer. Waiting until GrapheneOS has something new for us.

DirtyDan

Just throwing my results thus far into the pile:

I uninstalled and then reinstalled Play services and Google messages yesterday (sept. 29)

play services: network, notifications, SMS, phone, contact scopes, storage scopes

Gave the same permissions to google messages. I enabled automatic phone number verification in sandboxed Google Play settings.

Restarted the phone. Opened Google Messages, made it my default sms client, and then waited a few hours for all of my messages to populate. During this time, it first said my device was not supported, then said not connected. After my messages populated, I restarted my phone a few times and then it changed to Connected.
Still no RCS functionality though and now all messages default to SMS/MMS.

DirtyDan

On another strange note, when I woke up this morning, both Play Services and Google messages now have all permissions enabled except for sensors and location. My contact and storage scopes were also fully replaced with full permission access for these two apps. I absolutely didn't manually enable these permissions. I was prompted with a warning about removing these permissions similar to the warning you would get when removing permissions from a native grapheneOS app.

patienttruth99

Overeager3470 it sounds like there are code changes that need to be made, so we can just hang tight until they've made it through the development process to whatever release channel we're running.

Judgeadam

Graphene OS bois putting in the work. Donation is a go. Thanks!!!!

Let me know if you still need logs. When I posted my info a few weeks back here I thought I was the problem maybe but good to see it's getting dug into!!

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