How to Protect Yourself Against the Increasing RCS Spam Messages
1 min read
Summary
Rich Communication Services (RCS) is an upgrade to the standard SMS and MMS messaging protocols that adds features such as read receipts, longer messages, and rich media support.
RCS support was initially implemented by Google in 2019, and Apple followed suit in iOS 18+.
This popularisation has led to an increase in RCS spam.
Google Messages has a built-in spam filter, as well as a block and report function which helps Google’s algorithms detect spam.
You can also disable read receipts, as spammers can use them to target customers who have shown an interest in their content by opening a message.
Disabling RCS chats also prevents spam via the RCS protocol, while still allowing SMS communication.
You can also disable RCS chats, which will block all potential spam via the RCS protocol, but you will still be able to use SMS to communicate. WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal are popular messaging apps that do not use RCS.
You will still be able to use SMS to communicate, and other RCS users will automatically switch to SMS/MMS when texting you, so you won’t miss any important messages from businesses.
