RCS on iOS 18 Not Working? Try These Fixes

Apple’s latest iOS 18 brings the RCS messaging standard for a smooth cross-platform messaging experience. This brand-new addition lets you enjoy improved group chats and share high-resolution media with your Android friends. With the stable version of iOS 18, Apple is rolling out RCS support to several countries around the world. If RCS isn’t working on your iPhone, you might need to check some basics and tweak some settings. Once you’ve sorted them, you should be absolutely fine. Read on to learn how to fix RCS on iOS 18 not working problems.

Method 1: Check RCS Availability in your Region

If you can’t use RCS on your iPhone, you must first check and ensure that this iOS 18 feature is available in your country. Although RCS is available on all iOS 18 compatible devices, it’s not available in all countries across the globe. As of now, RCS is only available on iPhones in the US, Canada, and some European countries. If you live outside these regions, you cannot enable RCS on your iPhone.

Method 2: Check if your carrier supports RCS

If RCS isn’t working for you, it might be possible that your carrier doesn’t support this feature. Even if Apple’s iOS 18 brings the RCS support to your iPhone, your network carrier needs to activate this capability. While most network carriers in the U.S. support RCS, some haven’t jumped to the bandwagon yet. Major carriers like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Xfinity, and more support RCS for iPhones. You can check out this Apple Support page to learn if your wireless carrier supports RCS messaging or not.

Alternatively, there’s an easy way to check RCS availability on your iPhone. Here’s what you need to do:

• On your iPhone, go to Settings -> General -> About.
• Here, tap on IMS Status under the carrier to see messaging support details.
• If you see Voice, SMS & RCS, your carrier supports RCS messaging. If not, you’ll see Voice & SMS.

Method 3: Enable/Toggle RCS in Settings

If iOS 18 RCS support is available in your region and your network carrier supports it, that doesn’t mean RCS will work automatically for you. Since RCS Messaging is an opt-in feature on an iPhone, you will have to enable RCS inside the Settings app. If you haven’t done so, RCS Messages won’t work on your iPhone. You can follow the below to turn on RCS Messaging on iOS 18:

• Go to Settings -> Apps -> Messages.
• Here, scroll down and turn on RCS Messaging toggle under “Text Messaging”.

If you’ve already enabled the feature but RCS won’t work on your iPhone, you should toggle the RCS Messaging option. This will wipe off any glitches and activate Rich Communication Services on your iPhone.

Once you’ve done so, open the Messages app and try sending RCS messages or reacting to existing messages.

Method 4: Check your Internet Connection

Unlike regular text messages and SMS, the RCS messaging standard works on Wi-Fi and mobile data. Therefore, if you wish to use RCS on iOS 18, your iPhone must have a stable internet connection. In case of no or poor internet connection, you cannot send RCS messages on your iPhone. To verify, open Safari and go to a website that you usually visit. If the site doesn’t load or you see a message saying “Your iPhone isn’t connected to the internet”, poor internet is responsible for why RCS Messages aren’t working on your iPhone.

If you’re using Wi-Fi, you must toggle the Wi-Fi option, forget & re-connect to the Wi-Fi network, or reboot the Wi-Fi router. In the case of Mobile Data, toggle the Airplane mode, toggle Mobile Data, make sure you have an active data plan, check for data issues, or contact your network provider.

Method 5: Toggle Airplane Mode

There can be instances when you’ve installed iOS 18, your carrier supports RCS Messaging, and you’ve enabled this option in Settings, but RCS won’t work on your iPhone. This usually happens due to network glitches interfering with messaging and other network-related functions. The easiest way to fix minor network bugs is to toggle Airplane mode on your iPhone.

Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone screen to reveal the Control Center. Here, tap on the Airplane icon. The icon should now turn Orange. Wait for about 5 to 1o seconds and tap on the same icon again.

Alternatively, head to Settings and turn on the toggle for Airplane mode. Again, wait for a few seconds and turn it off.

Method 6: Restart your iPhone

If you still can’t send RCS messages, the final resort is to restart your iPhone. This will allow your iPhone to re-establish the connection with the network. Also, it will rule out any minor software glitches and network-related bugs that are hampering the normal functionality of your device. So, make sure to turn off your iPhone, wait for a few seconds, and then turn it back on. Once your iPhone has restarted and you’re connected to a stable internet connection, try RCS messages again.

That’s how you can fix RCS not working on iOS 18 problems. We hope you are now able to enjoy those read receipts and the exchange media in high quality with your Android friends. In case you have any doubts, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below.