Some Android users in Canada are reporting problems with RCS chat features getting stuck on “Setting up” or “Connecting,” especially on Bell.
A few Reddit users say they’ve finally found a workaround after years of trying to get RCS to activate.
One Bell customer said the issue went away after changing how their Google accounts handle phone number verification. “After multiple years of not having rcs chats, I have been trying absolutely everything I could,” they wrote. “I was messing around with my Google accounts and changed all my Google accounts to not verify my phone number automatically. This fixed it within minutes.”
According to their explanation, the problem seems tied to multiple Google accounts on the same phone, each trying to auto-verify the same number. The user said the fix only took a couple of minutes once they disabled automatic number verification on every account.
Their steps were straightforward: turn on RCS inside Google Messages and make sure the phone number shows as verified, even if no text arrives. After that, they went into Android settings, searched for “phone number,” opened the Google menu, selected their account, and turned off automatic phone number verification on every Google account synced to the device.
After waiting a minute and reopening Google Messages, RCS reportedly activated. If it didn’t, they said uninstalling the Google Messages app update and letting the app reset helped. “It won’t actually uninstall it just removes the update,” they noted.
Another Reddit user shared a similar experience after reinstalling everything on a freshly formatted device. They discovered multiple verification links across two Google accounts. “I turned them all off on both accounts, removed my phone number from my new email, and RCS was instantly activated on my device,” they said. “Not saying this is the fix, but this is what worked for me.”
This RCS issue happened to my friend’s phone a while back, and this fix worked for him. It’s worth giving a try if you’re having similar issues.
For now, these steps may help anyone stuck with RCS that refuses to verify. Check out a summary of the steps to fix this RCS problem below:
Open Google Messages and make sure RCS chat features are turned on. It’s fine if your phone number doesn’t show as verified or you didn’t receive a text.
Go to your phone’s Settings app.
Use the search bar and type “phone number.”
Open the Google section that appears in the results.
Select your Google account. Scroll down to where your device name is listed, like “Galaxy A16 5G.”
Turn off automatic phone number verification (also called auto-verify or phone number verification).
Repeat steps 5–6 for every Google account signed in on your phone.
Wait about one minute on the home screen without touching anything.
Reopen Google Messages and check if RCS activates.
If it still doesn’t work, uninstall the Google Messages app update. This doesn’t remove the app — it just resets it to the factory version. Once the app shows an “Update” button, try activating RCS again.
Have you had any issues with RCS not working on Android? Recently, Google figured out how to add support for Apple’s AirDrop to work with QuickShare, bringing some cool integration between iPhone and Android devices for sharing files.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
