Google’s Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging no longer works for Kenyans using Android mobile phones across all three of the country’s major mobile networks, effectively reverting users to paid Short Message Service (SMS) and other online messaging alternatives.
RCS is enabled through Google Messages, the default messaging app on most Android phones. The feature allows users to send texts over mobile data or Wi-Fi, similar to internet-based platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
It is modelled to be Android’s equivalent of Apple’s iMessage, and when active, the feature supports high-resolution photo and video sharing, typing indicators, read receipts and longer messages without character limits.
But in recent weeks, users on the Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom networks have reported that RCS messages can no longer be sent, with the settings page in Google Messages displaying a notification stating that “RCS chats are supported by your operator.”
Messages can now only be sent as standard SMS or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), which require airtime or SMS bundles.
It is unclear how widespread the disruption is, but customers of different network carriers in other African markets, including Zambia, Tunisia and Algeria, have also reported receiving similar error messages on social media.
On its website, Google advises users who see the message “RCS chats are disabled by your carrier” to contact their mobile operator.
However, customers who have reached out to some telcos were referred back to Google. Safaricom, for instance, has acknowledged the issue and told a customer that the disruption originated from Google’s systems and that users could either wait for the service to restore itself or contact the US tech giant directly.
“There was an issue from the Google end, so you can either wait for services to self-restore, or contact them for further assistance,” the telco said on its X account in November 2025.
The feature has not resumed working since. Contacted over the matter, a Safaricom spokesperson told the Business Daily: “It is not our service; it is Google’s. They disabled it for other networks’ users in several other markets, not just Kenya.”
Airtel and Telkom did not respond to requests for comment. Industry analysts have pointed to the possibility that Google may have scaled back support for its Jibe platform, the cloud-based infrastructure that underpins RCS functionality on Android. Google acquired Jibe in 2015 to help carriers offer advanced messaging features without building their own RCS systems.
Jibe enables cross-network RCS messaging even where telecom operators lack their own backend infrastructure. If Google has withdrawn support for the platform in certain markets, mobile operators would be required to deploy and maintain their own RCS systems, an investment some may be reluctant to make.
“Google owns the RCS platform, and they are most likely the ones who stopped support. Network operators can only facilitate connectivity,” Joseph Khago, a Nairobi-based IT specialist, said in an interview.
Mr Khago added that differences in international subsea cable infrastructure could explain why the feature may still work in some African markets and not others. Google did not respond to requests for comment.
Analysts say in markets like Kenya, where SMS is still a paid product, operators may have little incentive to support RCS because it directly eats into their messaging revenues, which are already shrinking due to an increase in online messaging channels.
Safaricom dominates Kenya’s SMS market, accounting for 91.08 percent of total traffic as of September 2025, compared with Airtel’s 8.87 percent and Telkom’s 0.03 percent, according to data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
The RCS feature disruption comes at a time when traditional SMS usage and revenues are already in decline. CA data shows that the average number of SMS messages sent per subscriber fell to 62.4 per month in the three months to September 2025, down from 66.3 in the preceding quarter and 65.9 in the three months to December 2024.
Safaricom itself reported a 10.9 percent drop in SMS revenue to Sh5.5 billion in its half-year results for the six months to September 2025. The company cited increased smartphone adoption and the rapid growth of internet-based messaging platforms.
At the same time, Android devices account for the vast majority of smartphones in Kenya.
With RCS now unavailable, experts say this pushes Android users further towards third-party messaging apps, further accelerating the shift away from traditional telecom messaging services.
Google’s operating system powers about 94 percent of smartphones in the country, according to estimates by US cybersecurity firm Cloudflare. Apple’s iPhones account for just 5.8 percent of mobile connectivity traffic.
