New year, new device? If you’re switching from Android to iOS, you’ll want to make sure you follow these steps to disable RCS — or risk missing messages on your new phone.
Changing devices is both an exciting and nerve-racking task. With the switch from Android to iOS, there is a possibility that you will stop receiving texts. But don’t panic! It’s an easily solvable problem.
The likely culprit is the protocol called RCS, which is short for Rich Communication Services. There are a lot of reasons to like RCS in Google’s Messaging app. It provides read receipts and emoji reactions and enables higher-quality media sharing than the older SMS protocol it replaces. But as much as Google would like it to be, RCS isn’t a universal standard — Apple uses its own iMessage protocol, so if you’re switching between Android and iOS, this can throw a real wrench in the works if you’re not careful.
To make sure you receive all your texts on your new device, you need to disable chat features on your Android before you move your SIM to an iPhone. Oh no! You weren’t aware? No worries! Google has a fix, even if you no longer have access to your old device.
Here’s how to turn off chat features — and what to do if you forgot.
If you still have your old phone
If you’re about to make the switch or luckily still have access to your old device, here’s what to do:
- Open the Messages app.
- Tap the profile icon on the right side of the search bar.
- Go to Messages settings > Chat features.
- Switch the Enable chat features toggle off.
If you no longer have your old phone
No longer have your old Android phone? Don’t despair! Google offers a way to turn chat features off using your phone number at messages.google.com/disable-chat. To use this tool, make sure your SIM is active in your new device. It will then send a six-digit verification code to your number, which should do the trick.
We hope this helps! Happy texting on your brand new device.
Source: The Verge
