Credit: Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
- RCS in Google Messages has been down in several regions since early August.
- Reports from Reddit and Google forums mention outages in Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other countries.
- Google says carriers must act to restore RCS, fueling speculation it pulled back its Jibe support.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) is supposed to be the future of texting on Android, and even Apple has agreed to support the modern replacement for SMS. However, while RCS is gaining ground in the US and Europe, reports suggest it’s abruptly stopped working in Google Messages in several other regions since early August.
On Reddit, multiple people say that RCS in Google Messages has gone dark across Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts of East Africa. Reports suggest phones that previously showed “chat features” now display a “carrier not supported” message. Some commenters speculated that Google may have removed certain carriers from its infrastructure, while others accused operators of blocking the service outright.