Update 2/6/25 at 11:12 AM EST – Samsung responded to our query about why Samsung Messages still supports RCS. A spokesperson shared via email, “New Samsung mobile devices come pre-installed with Google Messages, which offers an updated and more seamless messaging experience with Rich Communication Services (RCS). For users who still wish to use Samsung Messages, they can do so by downloading the app from the Galaxy Store. However, there may be certain feature limitations related to RCS with Samsung Messages, depending on your carrier network.”
Update 2/2/25 at 2:27 AM EST – RCS chat is now working with our unlocked S25 Ultra unit running on the Verizon network. We were able to successfully send RCS Chat messages to other phones on T-Mobile and AT&T. This screenshot now appears in the original story below. The original story was published on 1/31.
Just when we thought there were no more surprises with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung may have something new in store for us. Over the past few weeks, Verizon as well as Samsung confirmed that Samsung Messages would be “sunsetting” in favor of Google Messages. However, Samsung Messages on the Galaxy S25 Ultra running One UI 7 is showing bright signs of RCS support.
Samsung Messages shows signs of RCS support, maybe it’s not RIP yet
A new (but actually old) banner in the Samsung Messages app on the Galaxy S25 Ultra indicates the possibility of RCS support. The banner reads: “Faster, richer, higher quality chat on Wi-Fi or data,” followed by a message that says. “To turn on RCS chats from Google, you agree to the Terms of Service.” Users are presented with an option to enable RCS or continue without chat features.
This suggests that Samsung Messages may still support RCS messages. While Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed this development, it’s not entirely surprising given the ongoing relationship between Samsung and Google.
The banner isn’t available on the Galaxy S24 Ultra running One UI 7 beta 3. However, on our Galaxy S25 Ultra (with Verizon) running One UI 7, the banner appears with additional details. The banner shows up after installing Samsung Messages from the Galaxy Store and no longer redirects users to Google Messages, as initially announced. The feature is available on Samsung Messages v15.7.02.15.
Important Notes
Both our Verizon and T-Mobile units now fully work with RCS in the Samsung Messages app on the Galaxy S25 Ultra (see below). The whole thing is quite strange since Samsung already announced that Samsung Messages was going away eventually.
As the Galaxy S25 series has already started shipping in the US, Galaxy S25 Ultra owners can try installing Samsung Messages from the Galaxy Store and check if the RCS option is available. Since this option isn’t available on the Galaxy S24 series, it’s likely this feature could roll out when Samsung releases the public stable version of One UI 7, which shouldn’t be far off. In any case, we’ve reached out to Samsung for comment on these developments. We will update this story when we hear back.
