Does Samsung support RCS?

Yes, Samsung phones support RCS. Samsung RCS messaging now runs through Google Messages rather than the Samsung Messages app, because US carriers have standardized on Google's client. The handset was never the limitation: a Galaxy has been RCS-capable for years, and what changed is which app carries it.

Samsung RCS Messaging: Use Google Messages

Verizon ended RCS in Samsung Messages in January 2025 and directed its customers to Google Messages, and the other US networks have moved the same way. On a Samsung phone bought in the US today, Google Messages is normally the default texting app already, and RCS is on out of the box.

Which app carries Samsung RCS messaging

Google Messages. It is the RCS client for effectively every Android handset in the US, Samsung included, and it talks to the Jibe backend that Google runs for most carriers.

Samsung Messages still ships on some devices in some markets and still sends SMS and MMS perfectly well. What it no longer reliably does in the US is carry RCS. If your Galaxy is on Samsung Messages and chat features look missing or stuck, that is usually the whole explanation.

Turning RCS on

Install or open Google Messages and set it as the default SMS app when prompted. On most US Galaxy phones it already is.
Open the profile menu, then Messages settings, then RCS chats.
Turn Turn on RCS chats on.
Confirm your number and wait for the status to read Connected.

Step 4 is the one that takes time. Registration is a carrier-side handshake, and it can sit on "Setting up" for a few minutes on a new SIM. RCS waiting for activation covers what to do when it does not clear.

If RCS is not working on your Samsung

Chat features missing entirely. You are almost certainly in Samsung Messages, not Google Messages. Change the default app.
Stuck on connecting. Confirm the phone has data, not just Wi-Fi, for the first registration, and check the number shown matches the SIM.
Working for some contacts only. RCS is per conversation. A thread with someone who has not enabled it stays on SMS, and that is normal, not a fault. See why RCS is not working.
Dual SIM. RCS registers against one line. If you swapped the default data SIM, the registration follows it.

What Samsung support means if you send business messages

Nothing you need to build for. A verified RCS message reaches a Galaxy through Google Messages exactly as it reaches a Pixel, so there is no Samsung-specific payload, no separate approval, and no separate test device requirement beyond ordinary QA. Samsung is the largest Android handset base in the US, so in practice a large share of your Android-side RCS delivery lands on one.

The one operational note is fallback. A Galaxy on Samsung Messages with no RCS registration receives the SMS version of your send, which is the same behaviour as any other unregistered handset. How RCS falls back to SMS covers it.

Key facts

Samsung devices are RCS-capable; US carriers route Samsung RCS messaging through Google Messages.
Verizon ended RCS in the Samsung Messages app in January 2025.
Setting Google Messages as the default texting app is the fix for most "RCS missing on Samsung" reports.
RCS registration is per line and per conversation, so partial coverage is expected behaviour.
Business senders need nothing Samsung-specific: the same verified agent and the same payload reach a Galaxy through Google Messages.

Frequently asked

Why is RCS not showing in Samsung Messages?

Because US carriers no longer route RCS through it. Verizon ended RCS in Samsung Messages in January 2025 and the others have consolidated on Google Messages, so the chat features menu can be absent or inert in Samsung Messages on a handset that is fully RCS-capable. Setting Google Messages as the default texting app restores it on the same number.

Do I lose my texts if I switch a Galaxy to Google Messages?

No. SMS and MMS history is stored on the device and read by whichever app is set as the default, so the threads appear in Google Messages after the switch. What does not carry over is anything stored only in a Samsung account backup, so it is worth checking that before uninstalling anything.

Does RCS work on older Galaxy phones?

Generally yes. RCS is carried by the app and the network rather than by the handset hardware, so any Galaxy that can run a current Google Messages can register for it. The limits people hit are the carrier and the line, not the age of the phone.

Is Samsung RCS messaging encrypted?

Person-to-person chats in Google Messages are end to end encrypted, and that applies on a Galaxy exactly as on any other Android handset. Messages from a business are encrypted in transit but not end to end, because the business has to be able to read what you send it.