Google Messages Users Report RCS Media Failures on Android-to-Android Chats

The reports were posted on Reddit and cited by Android Authority. Users say the media is not delivered when RCS is active. For most affected users, switching to SMS/MMS resolves the problem. The same reports claim there is no issue when sending RCS media to an iPhone that has RCS enabled.

Users have tried several troubleshooting steps without success, including restarting the phone, clearing the cache, force-stopping the app, resetting the network and toggling the RCS connection. One user said the problem went away after clearing their storage, but that user also lost the Photomoji tab and could no longer create photomoji.

It is unclear how widespread the problem is. Android Authority said it has reached out to Google for comment and will update its article when new information becomes available.

The media-sending trouble comes as Google Messages has moved closer to supporting RCS video calls, a long-desired feature that remains in progress, according to Android Authority. That feature is not yet available, and the current issue concerns existing RCS media functions.

Editor's Summary

Some Google Messages users are unable to send GIFs, pictures, photomoji and stickers over RCS to other Android phones, while RCS media to iPhone appears unaffected, Android Authority reports. The cause and scale are unclear, and Google has not commented. SMS/MMS works as a workaround for most affected users, and one storage-clearing fix removed the Photomoji tab for one user.