On Android with Google Messages, you can disable RCS read receipts and typing indicators independently. Open your profile picture or icon, choose Messages settings, open RCS chats (called Chat features on some versions), then switch off Send read receipts and Show typing indicators. Google documents these as controls over what other people are told about your activity.
On iPhone, Apple’s documented RCS control is broader. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging and turn RCS off. Apple does not document separate RCS switches for read receipts and typing indicators, so this disables RCS messaging itself. The option appears only where your carrier and region support RCS on an iPhone running iOS 18 or later.
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What you can and cannot turn off
RCS indicators answer two different questions: whether a message has been read and whether the other person is currently typing. The controls documented by Google and Apple concern the status you send to other people. They do not establish a separate setting that hides every other person’s read or typing status from you.
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Google’s support documentation also says that read receipts and typing indicators depend on RCS being available for the conversation. If the recipient does not have RCS chats, those indicators do not work, although SMS and MMS messaging can still work. That is a protocol limitation, not a privacy setting. See Google’s RCS chats FAQ for the documented behavior.
Outgoing versus incoming status
Before changing anything, decide which direction of information concerns you. A read receipt is an indication sent from your account after you read a message. A typing indicator is an indication sent while you compose. The Android labels describe those outgoing disclosures: one says Send read receipts, and the other says Show typing indicators. Neither label promises to remove the equivalent status from the other person’s side.
For example, turning off your read receipts may prevent a contact from learning that you opened a message, but it does not document a way to stop that contact from sending a read receipt of their own. Likewise, turning off your typing indicator changes what your contacts see while you type; it is not documented as a control for hiding their typing animation on your phone.
This is why a conversation can still display an incoming status after you disable your own settings. The setting may be working exactly as named. It changes your participation in the exchange of indicators, not every indicator generated by everyone in the chat.
Turn off both indicators in Google Messages on Android
These steps apply to the Google Messages app. The wording can vary slightly by device or app version, but Google documents the following navigation:
- Open Google Messages.
- Tap your profile picture or icon near the top of the screen.
- Tap Messages settings.
- Tap RCS chats. If you do not see that label, look for Chat features; Google identifies it as the alternate menu name.
- Turn off Send read receipts.
- Stay in the RCS settings and turn off Show typing indicators.
The two switches operate independently. Turning off Send read receipts stops the documented read-receipt signal that tells other people you have read their message. Turning off Show typing indicators stops the documented typing signal that tells them you are typing. You do not have to disable RCS messaging simply to change these two settings.
If you only want to disable one signal
Leave the other switch unchanged. For example, switch off Send read receipts while leaving Show typing indicators on if you do not want messages to be marked as read but are comfortable showing when you are composing a reply. Conversely, switch off only the typing setting if read receipts are useful to you.
Because the controls are separate, you can also use a staged approach. Change one toggle, send or receive an RCS message in a conversation where the feature is available, and then decide whether the second signal should remain enabled. This avoids turning off more of the service than you intend.
What the Android controls do not promise
Google’s wording describes these settings as information you let other people know about your own activity. It does not say that switching them off hides the typing animation or read status generated by your contacts. If you are trying to stop seeing incoming indicators, the documented Android controls do not provide an inbound-only switch.
Also, the absence of an indicator is not proof that your toggle changed. A contact may not have RCS chats enabled, the conversation may be using SMS or MMS, or the feature may not be available for that recipient. Check the messaging mode before drawing a conclusion from a missing status.
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Google’s complete navigation and setting names are in Google Messages Help.
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Turn off RCS on an iPhone
Apple’s documented iPhone control works at the service level rather than at the individual-indicator level:
- Open the iPhone Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap Messages.
- Tap RCS Messaging.
- Turn off RCS Messaging.
Apple describes RCS as a carrier-provided service and lists delivery receipts, read receipts and typing indicators among its capabilities. Its instructions do not show separate switches for just read receipts or just typing indicators. Turning off the switch therefore turns off RCS messaging as a whole rather than preserving RCS while suppressing two signals.
What the whole-service switch changes
Disabling RCS on iPhone is broader than changing two Android preferences. It removes RCS from the messaging path, so conversations that would otherwise use RCS no longer use that service while the switch is off. The change is appropriate if you want to stop using RCS entirely, but it is not a precise privacy control for only receipts and typing.
If you depend on RCS features such as the service’s higher-quality messaging behavior, consider the scope before turning it off. Apple’s instructions do not document a way to retain those RCS capabilities while selectively suppressing only the two indicators.
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Requirements and availability
Apple says RCS on iPhone requires iOS 18 or later and a carrier that supports RCS on iPhone. Availability also varies by region. If RCS Messaging is missing from Settings > Apps > Messages, your carrier or region may not support the feature. Apple’s current instructions are at Turn on RCS messaging on your iPhone.
Do not confuse RCS with iMessage read receipts
Apple has a separate guide for Send Read Receipts in iMessage. That control belongs to iMessage conversations and requires both people to have iMessage turned on; it is not the RCS control described above. Apple’s iMessage documentation is available at Turn read receipts on or off in Messages on iPhone.
Changing the iMessage receipt setting therefore does not answer an RCS question. If the conversation is using RCS, use the RCS Messaging service setting. If it is an iMessage conversation, the separate iMessage receipt control is the relevant one.
Android and iPhone controls compared
| Platform | Menu path | Granularity | What changing it affects | Availability caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android, Google Messages | Profile picture or icon > Messages settings > RCS chats (or Chat features) | Two separate switches: Send read receipts and Show typing indicators | Stops the documented read and/or typing signals you send while leaving RCS available | RCS indicators require an RCS-capable conversation; SMS/MMS still works when RCS is unavailable |
| iPhone, Apple Messages | Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging | One RCS Messaging switch in Apple’s instructions | Turns off RCS messaging itself, including its RCS receipt and typing capabilities | Requires iOS 18 or later and carrier and regional support |
The practical choice is therefore different. Android users who want RCS features but not their own read or typing signals can change two individual toggles. iPhone users following Apple’s documented controls must choose between leaving RCS on with its available indicators or disabling the entire RCS service.
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If your goal is to stop seeing other people’s indicators
Ask which direction of information you want to change: your status going out or someone else’s status coming in. Google’s Android switches are named for sending your read receipts and showing your typing indicators to others. Apple’s iPhone documentation provides only the whole-service RCS switch. Neither cited set of instructions documents a separate inbound-only control that leaves RCS active while hiding every incoming indicator.
A question in the Google Messages Community illustrates this common ambiguity: a person may want to keep using RCS while avoiding indicators from other people. The official settings described above answer the outgoing-privacy part of that question. They should not be presented as a promise that incoming typing or read status will disappear from your own screen.
What you can do on Android
Use the two Google Messages toggles when you want to stop advertising your own activity. If your concern is specifically an incoming indicator, the documented settings do not offer a matching switch. Turning off your own outgoing controls may change what contacts learn about you, but it does not establish that their indicators will be hidden from you.
What you can do on iPhone
The documented option is to turn off RCS Messaging entirely. That is a broader change than suppressing two indicators: it removes RCS from the messaging path and therefore changes the service used for RCS conversations.
If the incoming indicator itself is the problem, disabling RCS is a significant workaround rather than a narrowly targeted preference. Make sure that broader effect is acceptable before using it, particularly if you want to continue using RCS with other contacts.
Understand the RCS and SMS/MMS boundary
Indicators are tied to RCS participation. Google says read receipts and typing indicators do not work when the recipient does not have RCS chats. A conversation can still use SMS or MMS, so the absence of an indicator does not necessarily mean that a privacy switch is active; it may simply mean the conversation is not using RCS for that recipient.
- RCS conversation: Google’s documented read-receipt and typing-indicator features can apply, subject to the relevant settings.
- Recipient without RCS chats: Those indicators do not work for that conversation, while SMS/MMS can continue to work.
- iPhone with RCS disabled: RCS messaging is turned off at the service level through Apple’s single switch.
Use the menu settings to control your own outgoing indicators; use the RCS/SMS distinction to interpret why an indicator may be absent in a particular conversation.
This boundary is especially useful when testing a change. A test with an RCS-capable contact can behave differently from a text sent to someone whose phone or carrier does not use RCS. The same missing read receipt can have different explanations, so do not treat one conversation as a universal test of the setting.
Should you disable RCS completely?
On Android, disabling the two individual indicators is the narrower change. It preserves the ability to use RCS while changing what you send about reading and typing. Disabling RCS itself is a much broader step and is generally unnecessary if your only objective is to stop your own indicators.
Google explicitly says it is not advised to turn RCS chats on and off repeatedly. Its help documentation warns that users may be removed from group chats when RCS is toggled, so repeatedly switching the service is not a harmless way to experiment with privacy settings. If you cannot access your device, Google directs users to an RCS deactivation portal from its setup instructions. Follow the current directions at Google Messages Help rather than trying to guess a separate portal address.
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On iPhone, disabling RCS may be the only documented way to remove RCS indicators because Apple does not list individual RCS receipt and typing switches. Make that change only if you accept the service-wide effect and the possibility that RCS availability, conversation behavior or group participation will change.
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Turning a service off and on repeatedly can create confusion about which conversations are using RCS and can affect group-chat participation. If your goal is simply to stop your own status signals on Android, use the two indicator controls instead of repeatedly disabling RCS. On iPhone, make one deliberate service-level decision and allow the carrier and device state to update before judging the result.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot missing or unexpected settings
“RCS chats” is not listed in Google Messages
Google says some versions or devices use the label Chat features instead. Return to the profile picture or icon, open Messages settings, and look for that alternate item. The documented controls are still named Send read receipts and Show typing indicators.
If neither label appears, the instructions do not establish that your current messaging app or account has the same RCS menu. Confirm that you are in Google Messages rather than a different manufacturer messaging app before looking for the exact toggle names.
The iPhone RCS switch is missing
Apple says iPhone RCS availability varies by carrier and region and requires iOS 18 or later. Check those requirements before treating the missing menu as a malfunction. If your carrier does not provide RCS support in your location, Apple’s RCS setting may not appear.
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A contact still does not show indicators
Google’s FAQ says indicators do not work when the recipient does not have RCS chats. Confirm that the conversation is actually using RCS before interpreting the absence of a receipt or typing signal as evidence about your settings.
You changed the wrong Apple setting
If you opened the iPhone’s general Send Read Receipts control, you were changing iMessage behavior. Apple’s separate guide requires both participants to have iMessage turned on and does not describe RCS. For RCS, use Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging.
The setting appears correct but behavior seems unchanged
First identify whether the contact and conversation support RCS. Google’s documented controls apply to RCS indicators, not to every text message type. Next check whether you changed one toggle or both; the controls are independent. Finally, remember that the settings address what your account sends to others, not a documented way to suppress their incoming indicators.
How to restore the settings later
On Android, repeat the Google Messages path and switch Send read receipts and/or Show typing indicators back on. Because they are independent, restore only the signal you want to send.
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After restoring RCS on iPhone, the service may still be unavailable if the carrier or region does not support it. On Android, restoring one switch does not automatically restore the other, so check both controls if you want both signals enabled.
A quick decision checklist
- Want to stop sending read receipts on Android? Turn off Send read receipts.
- Want to stop sending typing signals on Android? Turn off Show typing indicators.
- Want to keep one Android signal while disabling the other? Change only the relevant toggle.
- Want to stop seeing incoming indicators? The cited Google and Apple instructions do not document an inbound-only switch.
- Using an iPhone and want to remove RCS indicators? The documented control turns off RCS Messaging as a whole.
- Cannot find the setting? Look for Google’s alternate Chat features label, or check Apple’s iOS, carrier and region requirements.
- Considering repeated RCS deactivation? Google advises against repeatedly turning RCS chats on and off because group-chat membership may be affected.
- Not sure why an indicator is absent? Check whether the recipient and conversation support RCS rather than assuming a privacy toggle caused it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off RCS read receipts but keep typing indicators on in Google Messages?
Yes. In Google Messages, open your profile picture or icon, choose Messages settings, open RCS chats or Chat features, and turn off Send read receipts. Leave Show typing indicators on.
Can I turn off typing indicators without disabling RCS on Android?
Yes. Turn off Show typing indicators in the same RCS settings menu. RCS remains available unless you disable the service separately.
Does turning off my Android read receipts hide other people’s read receipts?
Google documents the switch as controlling what you let other people know about your activity. It does not document the setting as an inbound-only control that hides their read status from you.
Can iPhone disable only RCS read receipts?
Apple’s documented iPhone instructions provide one RCS Messaging switch, not separate RCS switches for read receipts and typing indicators. Turning it off disables RCS messaging as a whole.
Why is RCS Messaging missing from iPhone Settings?
Apple says RCS on iPhone requires iOS 18 or later, a supporting carrier and regional availability. If any of those conditions is missing, the RCS Messaging option may not appear.
Do RCS indicators work with every phone number?
No. Google says read receipts and typing indicators do not work when the recipient does not have RCS chats. SMS or MMS can still work in that conversation.
Is Apple’s Send Read Receipts setting the same as the RCS setting?
No. Apple’s separate Send Read Receipts control concerns iMessage and requires both people to have iMessage turned on. RCS uses the RCS Messaging setting described in Apple’s RCS instructions.
Is it safe to repeatedly turn RCS off and on to test privacy settings?
Google advises against repeatedly turning RCS chats on and off and warns that users may be removed from group chats. On Android, use the individual indicator toggles when they meet your goal.
The Bottom Line
On Android, Google Messages gives you two precise controls: turn off Send read receipts, Show typing indicators, or both under RCS chats (or Chat features). On iPhone, Apple documents only a service-wide RCS Messaging switch, so disabling those indicators means disabling RCS itself. Neither platform’s cited instructions document a separate switch for hiding every incoming indicator from other people.
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