Important: Because RCS on Android relies entirely on Google’s Jibe service, it requires a few specific steps to function properly with GrapheneOS.
Step 1: Set Up the Base Environment
- Open the GrapheneOS App Store and install Google Play Services.
- Open the Google Play Store, log in, and download the official Google Messages app. (Note: The pre-installed messaging app does not support RCS).
- Set Google Messages as your default SMS application.
- Confirm your Cape roaming app is set to "United States". You can also confirm this is correct by going to the Cape app, Support > Advanced > Phone Info, and then look for "IMSI" and the first 6 digits of your IMSI should be "314560".
Step 2: Configure App Permissions
Because GrapheneOS prevents Google from having elevated access to your device by default, you must grant Google Play Services access to the device identifiers it needs to register with Google's Jibe service:
Because GrapheneOS prevents Google from having elevated access to your device by default, you must grant Google Play Services access to the device identifiers it needs to register with Google's Jibe service:
- Go to your phone's Settings > Apps > All Apps.
- Find Google Play Services and ensure Network, SMS, and Phone access is allowed.
- Tap Play Services Special Permissions, then Allow ICC authentication with device identifiers
- Find Google Messages and ensure it has the Network permission set to allowed.
Step 3: Activate RCS
- Open Google Messages.
- Tap your profile icon/menu in the top right and go to Messages settings > RCS chats.
- Toggle RCS chats to On.
- Wait a few minutes for the app to verify your phone number with Google's servers.
Troubleshooting: If RCS Gets Stuck on "Connecting" or Fails
If the status gets stuck verifying or fails to connect, follow these steps to force a clean registration:
If the status gets stuck verifying or fails to connect, follow these steps to force a clean registration:
- Go to Google Messages > Messages settings > RCS chats and toggle RCS to OFF.
- Go to your phone's Settings > Apps > All Apps > Google Messages and select Storage & Cache.
- Tap Clear Data / Clear Storage (this will not delete your text messages (which are stored in an OS-level database), just the app's storage).
- Open the app, head back to RCS settings, and toggle it back ON to re-register with Jibe.