How to enable read receipts in Android Messages

How many times have you had someone say to you, “Sorry, I didn't see your text.” 

Sure they didn't. And they could have gotten away with it, had it not been for those “meddling kids” — “meddling kids” being a handy option within the SMS messages on your Android that ensures you know when someone has opened a text message. There is, of course, one caveat to using this feature. It's all about Rich Communication Services (RCS). 

Also: How to enable Android's chat features

RCS adds extra features to the Android Messages app, including high-res media sharing, location sharing, typing indicators, end-to-end encryption, and read receipts. The caveat is twofold. First, you must enable RCS on your Messages app. You also must ask the person you're communicating with to enable RCS. Furthermore, if you're texting someone with an iPhone, it's all moot anyway because Apple refuses to adopt the RCS standard.

The big question for me (for a while now) has been, “Why isn't RCS enabled by default?” I've tried to find out why, but there's very little information on this issue. The only conclusion I can draw is that because not every country in the world (nor Apple) has adopted RCS, Google has put the onus of enabling it on the consumer. 

Also: How to FaceTime on Android

Another possibility is that there are still quite a large number of Android phones being used with outdated operating systems that don't support RCS. Enabling RCS by default could cause problems with those older devices.

However, if Google would finally enable RCS by default, you wouldn't have to then reach out to your contacts to say, “If you're on Android, please enable RCS on your device.” Doing that then opens a can of worms wherein you suddenly become tech support for that person to guide them through enabling the feature.

Should you find yourself in such a situation, let me show you how to do this, so you can then just point your contacts to this article to avoid having to explain it yourself.

How to enable RCS Chats

What you'll need: The only thing you'll need is an Android device with an updated operating system. 

Once you've enabled RCS Chats (and read receipts), back out of the Settings window and you're good to go. You'll then want to make sure anyone you chat with (either individuals or groups) has RCS Chats enabled as well (otherwise, the features won't work for you). 

Also: How to configure conversations as Priority in Android (and why you should)

And that's all there is to making sure you know when your fellow Android users have received and read your SMS messages. Hopefully, someday in the near future, RCS will be enabled by default on all new Android devices, so you don't have to call out your friends and family who haven't enabled the feature.