Google is cracking down on rooted Android gadgets, blocking a number of individuals from utilizing the RCS message function in Google Messages. Customers with rooted telephones — a course of that unlocks privileged entry to the Android working system, like jailbreaking iPhones — have made a number of reviews on the Google Messages help web page, Reddit, and XDA’s internet discussion board over the previous couple of months, discovering they’re instantly unable to ship or obtain RCS messages.

One instance from Reddit consumer u/joefuf reveals that RCS messages would merely vanish after hitting the ship button. A number of reviews additionally point out that Google Messages gave no indication that RCS chat was now not working, and was nonetheless exhibiting as related and dealing in Google Messages.

In an announcement despatched to the Verge the place we requested if Google is obstructing rooted gadgets from utilizing RCS, Google communications supervisor Ivy Hunt mentioned the corporate is “making certain that message-issuing/receiving gadgets are following the working measures outlined by the RCS commonplace” in a bid to forestall spam and abuse on Google Messages. In different phrases, sure, Google is obstructing RCS on rooted gadgets.

“Google rotates by way of many options to make sure that Android customers can talk sufficiently — and gadgets that won’t have entry to 1 communication protocol will all the time have at the very least one different out there,” mentioned Hunt. “On this case, customers that aren’t ready to make use of RCS nonetheless have entry to SMS & MMS messaging.”

Some providers like fee and banking apps, together with Google Pay/Pockets, will cease working in the event that they detect that customers have rooted their gadget as a safety measure, however these will usually present a warning message to clarify the gadget is unsupported. For customers who skilled RCS points with Google Messages, no such warning is seemingly offered.