Google made a huge push for RCS a few years ago, and for the most part, messaging is better because of it. Google Messages is a big part of this effort, and for many users, it's the default messaging app on Android.

However, some folks have recently faced challenges with Messages, with RCS failing to connect for some Samsung device users. We don't know how widespread this is, but folks have been complaining on Reddit, and Android Authority picked it up. While the main cause isn't known, it appears to happen when folks switch to a new phone.

It's not a problem for everyone

One example mentioned a user upgrading from a Z Fold 6 to a Z Fold 8. Some users suggest a solution that could help: don't use the Smart Switch feature when switching to a new phone.

So, if you're brave enough and want to try, you can wipe your new phone, start fresh, and see if RCS works. In the same Reddit post, the official Google Support Team chimed in, saying Smart Switch may have transferred some "corrupted cache files."

Google support recommends "updating to the latest version of Google Messages first. After that, toggle RCS off, clear data for Carrier Services, restart your phone, and toggle RCS back on."

You might have better luck, but the user on Reddit didn't reach a solution by following this procedure. If you rely on RCS, we recommend doing things the good old-fashioned way on your new phone: start fresh and transfer everything over manually.

You might spend a bit more time, but RCS should be in a better position. Some recommendations also suggest disabling RCS on the old phone, then enabling it on the new one once it's set up. This reminds me of the iMessage issue many people had when switching from an iPhone to an Android device.

While iMessage was active, users wouldn't receive standard text messages on Android until they deactivated the feature. For now, just be careful if you're moving to a new Samsung phone. In fact, we'd recommend being careful no matter what phone you have. Deactivate RCS before changing over to something new.

That's especially the case right now because new Pixel 11 phones are available for preorder. You wouldn't want to get your phone on day 1 and have something break. We've had some time with Google's latest, and it's just as good as you'd imagine. Of course, if you have a Pixel 10, we recommend sticking with that.