Google has recently announced that it will block the use of Rich Communication Services (RCS) on Android phones that have been rooted to prevent spam and abuse. Rooting your phone gives you access to areas of the Android system usually off-limits to users, allowing for customization, although phone manufacturers frown upon this practice. While rooting is less common among Android users today, those with unlocked bootloaders will also face blocked RCS functionality.

Users may find that even if their phone shows a connection to RCS, the advanced messaging system won’t function on rooted or bootloader-unlocked devices. Messages may disappear upon sending without any error message, leading to confusion for some users. Google’s decision to block RCS on rooted phones could leave users wondering why their messages aren’t receiving responses.

There is a workaround for this issue – installing the Magisk rooting tool and Play Integrity Fix can restore RCS functionality. However, a server-side update from Google could potentially break this fix, requiring users to wait for an updated version of Play Integrity Fix. It’s important to note that rooting your Android phone will disable banking apps and Google Wallet as a security measure to protect your financial assets.

While blocking RCS on rooted phones may seem excessive, considering the features it offers such as read receipts, longer messages, higher-quality media sharing, typing indicators, and end-to-end encryption. It appears to be a deterrent against rooting Android phones.