RCS not working on Samsung Messages? Check these solutions

RCS (Rich Communication Services) Messaging is slowly taking over and becoming a successor to ancient and fairly limited SMS and MMS services. Besides Google, Samsung introduced them to their Samsung Messages and, hopefully, other OEMs will follow with their own spin on this novelty. However, it seems that RCS is not working on Samsung Messages for some users, and they are seeing the “Registration failed” error.

If you are among these users, make sure to check the steps we listed below.

Table of contents:

1. Disable and re-enable RCS
2. Clear data from Carrier services and Samsung Messages
3. Reset Network settings
4. Uninstall updates from Carrier services
5. Switch to Google Messages

RCS registration failed on Samsung Messages

The cause of the problem is most likely on Samsung’s and Google’s sides. Some Samsung users lost RCS after a system update while others run into it as soon as Carrier services updated.

In the meantime, while we wait for them to fix this, there are some troubleshooting steps you can try on your own.

1. Disable and re-enable RCS

The first thing to do is to try disabling and re-enabling the feature in Samsung Messages settings. Although this error (as we already stressed) is on Google’s and Samsung’s side, you can give it a go and check for improvements. To disable and re-enable RCS on Samsung Messages, follow these steps:

1. Open the Samsung Messages app.
2. Tap on the 3-dots menu at the top right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Tap Chat Settings.
5. Toggle off the Enable Chat features toggle.
6. Restart your device, follow the same path, and toggle on the Enable Chat features toggle.

If the issue persists and RCS is still not working on Samsung Messages, make sure to move to the next step.

2. Clear data from Carrier services and Samsung Messages

It seems that the problem at hand can be pinpointed to Carrier services. It seems that an update broke RCS and we can only hope that the next one will fix this. However, for the time being, you can try clearing locally-stored data from Carrier services and Samsung Messages. This will, hopefully, address the problem you are dealing with.

Here’s how to clear local data from Carrier services and Samsung Messages:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Locate and open Carrier services from the list of available apps. If it doesn’t appear, tap on the 3-dot menu and select Show system processes.
4. Open Storage.
5. Tap Clear data.
6. Restart your device.

You can do this for Samsung Messages, as well.

3. Reset Network settings

Alternatively, you can try and reset the Network settings. Albeit, this is a long-shot solution, you can give it a try. This action will automatically remove all the devices you paired via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks. However, it should reset the APN and, with some luck, make RCS work again.

If you want to go into detail, check our instructional article that explains the ins and outs of resetting Network settings. Or just follow the steps below:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose System.
3. Open Reset options.
4. Tap Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.
5. Tap Reset settings.

4. Uninstall updates from Carrier services

Alternatively, instead of just removing the local data, you can also uninstall updates and restore Carrier services to factory values. Of course, since this is a system app, you can’t uninstall it completely. Furthermore, you can do the same for Samsung Messages and re-update the app.

Here’s how to uninstall updates from Carrier services on Android:

1. Again, navigate to Settings > Apps > Carrier services.
2. Tap on the 3-dot menu and Uninstall updates.
3. Restart your device and look for improvements.

5. Switch to Google Messages

Finally, although there are some reports concerning Google Messages as well, this is still the ablest app to use RCS services on Android. Until Samsung and Google fix the problem with Samsung Messages, consider switching to the Google Messages app. You can download Google Messages from Play Store.

Once you download the app, it will prompt you to allow RCS, and, later on, you can configure it in a way that suits your preferences.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading, check our social media (Facebook and Twitter), and don’t forget to share your experience with this problem in the comments section below.

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in March 2021. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.