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Basic texting usually works as soon as your phone has an active phone number and a plan that includes messaging. Setup is mostly about confirming that the built-in messaging app is the one you are using, deciding which address your messages go through, and, if you want richer chats, turning on RCS. This guide covers iPhone and Android separately, then explains the optional features and the troubleshooting steps that matter most.
Know which kind of message you are sending
Phones use several messaging methods, and the one a message travels over depends on the app, the device, the other person’s phone, and the carrier. Before you change any settings, it helps to know what each one is.
| Type | What it is | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| SMS/MMS | Standard carrier text and multimedia messaging. It works between nearly any two phones with a phone number and is the fallback when richer chat is unavailable. | Your phone service and plan. Availability and fees are set by the carrier. Google’s RCS chats FAQ and Apple’s RCS support page both describe SMS/MMS as the fallback. |
| iMessage | Apple’s messaging service, used between Apple devices. It can be reached through a phone number or an email address. | Apple device settings and the phone numbers and email addresses you choose to make reachable. See Apple’s Set up Messages on iPhone guide. |
| RCS | A richer successor to SMS. Typing indicators, read receipts, and high-resolution media are among its features, but only when both sides and the service support it. | A supported app or device, a supported carrier, and, on iPhone, a region where it is offered. See Google’s RCS chats FAQ, Apple’s RCS support page, and Android.com. |
When you compare these options, look at four things: compatibility with the other person’s phone, the features available, which network carries the message, and whether your carrier and region support it. No single option is guaranteed in every conversation, so a message to someone without RCS will still go out as SMS or MMS.
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On iPhone, the Messages app handles both regular text messages and iMessage. Apple’s current instructions place the iMessage controls under the Apps section of Settings.
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- Open Settings > Apps > Messages and switch on iMessage.
- Open Send & Receive. Select the phone number and email addresses you want people to use to reach you through iMessage. Choosing addresses here controls which identity appears on outgoing iMessages.
- If you use Messages on other Apple devices and want SMS, MMS, or RCS messages to appear there too, open Text Message Forwarding in Messages settings and turn on each device you want. Apple notes that this feature varies by region and carrier.
Apple’s Set up Messages on iPhone guide covers these screens in more detail.
Set up texting on Android
Android texting runs through the messaging app your phone uses. On many Android phones that app is Google Messages, and Google’s RCS steps below apply to it.
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- Open Google Messages. If it asks you to make it your default SMS app, accept. This lets the app send and receive text messages on your behalf.
- Tap your profile picture or initial in the top corner, then choose Messages settings > RCS chats.
- Tap Turn on RCS chats. Google’s Turn on RCS chats in Google Messages help page describes this flow.
- Check the status shown under RCS chats. Connecting means your number is being verified. Connected means RCS is ready for conversations with other people who also have RCS enabled.
If you do not want RCS, you can skip these steps. Google Messages still sends texts as SMS or MMS.
Richer messaging: what RCS requires
RCS needs more than an app setting. Apple says iPhone RCS requires iOS 18 or later and a mobile plan from a carrier that supports RCS on iPhone. In its words, “To use RCS, you need iOS 18 and a mobile data plan from a carrier that supports RCS messaging on iPhone” (Apple Support, Turn on RCS messaging on your iPhone). On iPhone, the switch is at Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging. If that option does not appear, your carrier or region may not offer RCS on iPhone yet, and checking carrier support is the right next step.
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On Android, Google’s RCS chats are available only where your carrier supports them. Google Messages also shows you the message method in the compose bar, so you can see whether a conversation is going out as RCS, SMS, or MMS before you send.
What texting costs
RCS does not use your SMS allowance. Google states that RCS travels over Wi-Fi or mobile data, and that the data plan determines mobile-data costs. A Wi-Fi network may also carry its own cost, depending on where you are. Apple says carrier fees may apply to RCS on iPhone. Verification of your number on Android may involve ordinary SMS rates, so do not assume that all texting is free on every plan.
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Troubleshooting
RCS stays on “Connecting”
“Connecting” means Google is verifying your phone number. Google’s guidance is that if “Trouble connecting. Awaiting retry” lasts more than 30 minutes, the verification has a problem. Confirm that your phone can receive SMS, check that it has a working internet connection, and then try again. If the status does not change, update Google Messages and confirm it is still your default SMS app.
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The message “RCS chats are disabled by your carrier” appears
Google’s Help center says: “If the message ‘RCS chats are disabled by your carrier’ shows, contact your carrier” (Google Messages Help, Turn on RCS chats in Google Messages). Repeatedly switching RCS on and off will not fix a carrier-level restriction.
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Setup fails on Android
- Update Google Messages to the latest version.
- Confirm Google Messages is the default SMS app.
- Check that the phone has internet access over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- If you use two SIM cards, check which SIM is set for mobile data, since verification and RCS depend on the line you are using.
- Make sure the phone can receive the verification SMS.
Messages stop arriving after changing phones or apps
Google advises against turning RCS on and off repeatedly. Doing so can remove you from group chats. If messages stop arriving after you switch devices or reinstall the app, follow Google’s RCS deactivation and recovery instructions in the RCS chats by Google FAQ rather than toggling the setting.
RCS is not offered in your area
RCS availability depends on carrier and region, and Apple’s iPhone availability also varies by region. If your carrier does not support RCS, SMS and MMS still work on a plan that includes them. Contact your carrier to ask whether RCS is supported on your line.
Where to go next
- Apple’s Set up Messages on iPhone guide for the full iMessage and forwarding options.
- Google’s Turn on RCS chats in Google Messages page for the current Android steps.
- The Android.com messaging page for an overview of RCS on Android and iPhone.
The Bottom Line
For most people, basic texting needs only a working phone number and a plan with messaging. On iPhone, confirm your iMessage addresses under Settings > Apps > Messages. On Android, make Google Messages your default SMS app. Turn on RCS only if your carrier supports it, and if the status stays on “Connecting” or shows a carrier restriction, the carrier is the next place to check.
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