How to Turn Off RCS Messaging Encryption on iPhone, by LaunchTimeMedia - Apple Tech on YouTube. 1 min 17 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 17 s
- Time to do it
- 2 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Open the Settings app on your iPhone home screen. It is the grey gear icon, usually on the first page of apps.
Scroll down the Settings list until you reach Apps, then tap it. On older iOS versions the entry is called Messages instead.
Tap Messages in the Apps list to open the messaging settings.
Scroll down the Messages settings page until you see the RCS Messaging section, listed under the text messaging options.
Tap the RCS Messaging toggle to switch it off. The switch turns grey and RCS chats stop being used on this phone.
Send a test text to a friend on Android. A green bubble means the message went out as SMS or MMS instead of RCS.
Open Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Tracking, and turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track if you want to limit cross-app tracking.
Tips and common mistakes
IOS has no separate encryption switch, so the RCS Messaging toggle is the only control you get over RCS encryption.
Messages sent as SMS or MMS are not end-to-end encrypted, so avoid sending sensitive details after switching RCS off.
RCS only works when your carrier supports it and the other person also has RCS enabled.
You can turn RCS back on at any time by returning to the same Messages settings page and flipping the toggle.
Questions
Where is the RCS toggle on my iPhone?
It lives in Settings, then Apps, then Messages, under the RCS Messaging heading. You need iOS 18 or later to see it.
Will turning off RCS delete my old messages?
No. Your existing conversations stay in the Messages app. Only the way new messages are sent changes, falling back to SMS and MMS.
Why did my messages turn green?
Green bubbles mean SMS or MMS, while blue means iMessage. Once RCS is off, chats with Android phones show up green.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
