Google Messages appears to be preparing to remove its per-contact RCS toggle after an APK teardown uncovered interface strings warning that the setting is going away.
Android Authority first reported the discovery on Oct. 6, 2026, and Android Police later covered it. The strings come from a beta build, not a public release, and Google hasn't confirmed, announced, or scheduled the change.
The setting in question is the "Only send SMS & MMS messages" toggle, which lets users force a single conversation back to conventional texting while RCS remains enabled elsewhere. XDA Developers also covered the planned removal and sought confirmation from Google. No official confirmation appears in the reporting.
The potential change matters to Google Messages users who rely on the per-contact toggle for specific conversations. It doesn't mean RCS itself is going away.
What the leaked Google Messages beta code shows
Google Messages currently displays the toggle inside each conversation's details screen. Switching it on overrides the app's default RCS behavior for that chat, forcing it back to carrier texting while RCS remains enabled elsewhere, according to Android Police.
That's the control the teardown suggests Google plans to retire.
Strings associated with the identifier force_sms_home_banner warn that the "Only send SMS & MMS messages" setting is going away and offer users a choice to switch immediately or let the app update automatically.
Companion strings include a "Switch to RCS chats now" title, a "Switch now" button, and a "Dismiss" option.
Those strings were found in Google Messages beta build messages.android_20261002_00_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic, not in an official changelog or a confirmed public rollout.
They suggest Google is preparing a warning for users who have forced individual conversations onto SMS or MMS. The wording also indicates those conversations could switch back to RCS automatically if users don't act.
Code found in a beta build is stronger evidence than an unsupported rumor, but it still doesn't guarantee the feature will ship. The accurate framing is that Google Messages appears to be preparing to remove the per-contact toggle, not that it has already disappeared.
What Google Messages removing the per-contact RCS toggle would change
If the change reaches a stable release, users could lose the ability to force SMS or MMS for one contact while keeping RCS enabled for everyone else.
The alternatives described by Android Authority and XDA Developers would be turning RCS off across all conversations or relying on SMS/MMS fallback when an RCS message cannot be delivered.
Neither report identifies a replacement setting offering the same persistent, per-contact control.
Google Messages already supports resending messages as SMS or MMS when RCS delivery fails, depending on the user's settings.
That mechanism differs from the toggle potentially being removed. Fallback responds to a delivery problem, while the per-contact toggle lets someone choose SMS or MMS in advance for a particular conversation.
The beta strings don't establish whether Google will change fallback behavior as part of the same update.
They also don't provide a rollout date, affected regions, or a confirmed cutoff for the existing setting.
The wording suggests an automatic switch in messaging preference, but it doesn't establish that existing conversation history would be deleted or changed.
Why some users relied on the per-contact toggle
Android Police describes the disappearing setting as a practical workaround for unwanted RCS messages, allowing users to force a particular conversation onto SMS or MMS without disabling RCS elsewhere.
That's the outlet's assessment rather than a measured spam-prevention benefit. Switching protocols also isn't the same as blocking unwanted messages from a contact.
Still, the setting gives users more control over how individual conversations work.
XDA points to another motivation, citing Reddit discussions in which users describe RCS messages failing to send or arrive with particular contacts.
Those reports are anecdotal and don't establish that RCS delivery is broadly unreliable. They do explain why some users prefer SMS or MMS for a troublesome conversation rather than disabling RCS globally.
Removing the per-contact option would reduce that flexibility.
RCS availability also depends on factors such as device support, carrier compatibility, and whether the service is enabled. Google has acknowledged these dependencies in its RCS announcements.
None of those requirements would necessarily change with the reported update, but losing a per-contact override could affect users differently depending on their devices and messaging setup.
Where this fits with Google's RCS plans
RCS remains central to Google's messaging strategy.
In May 2026, Google reported that 2.5 billion RCS messages were being sent daily worldwide, based on a 28-day average. That followed an earlier milestone of more than 1 billion daily RCS messages in the US.
Google and Apple also began rolling out end-to-end encrypted RCS between Android and iPhone users in May 2026.
The beta rollout initially covered iPhone users running iOS 26.5 with supported carriers and Android users on the latest Google Messages version.
Google said encryption would be enabled by default for supported conversations as the feature became available.
Google began rolling out RCS through Google Messages in 2019, while Apple introduced baseline RCS support with iOS 18 in 2024, according to XDA Developers.
Removing per-contact SMS exceptions could result in more eligible conversations using RCS by default. However, Google hasn't identified that as its motivation for the reported change.
What to check before anything changes
The reported change concerns Google Messages specifically, not every Android texting app or the RCS standard itself.
If you've never used the per-contact SMS/MMS toggle, there's no immediate action to take.
If you rely on it, open the relevant conversation's details screen and look for "Only send SMS & MMS messages."
Note which conversations use the setting, since those are the ones that could switch back to RCS automatically if Google implements the behavior described in the beta strings.
Google's current RCS help documentation explains how to manage RCS globally through Messages settings. It also covers delivery behavior and troubleshooting.
Turning RCS off globally isn't equivalent to forcing SMS or MMS for a single contact. Google also cautions that repeatedly disabling and re-enabling RCS can affect group chats.
Based on the beta findings, no replacement for the existing per-contact control has been identified.
For now, don't change your global RCS settings solely because of the teardown. Google hasn't confirmed a rollout, and the strings don't establish when or where the setting might disappear.
Watch for the in-app warning described in the beta code, and check whether the toggle remains available on your own device before assuming it has been removed.
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