Default SMS app and RCS
Android gives the job of receiving, storing and deleting text messages to one app at a time, the default SMS app. This page explains what changes when ClearSMS takes that job, and how to hand it back.
What the default SMS app can do
| Default SMS app | Any other app with SMS permission | |
|---|---|---|
| Receive new texts | Yes | No |
| Delete messages | Yes | No |
| Read existing messages | Yes | Yes |
So ClearSMS needs to be the default to receive messages, to delete conversations and to clean up old promotions.
Make ClearSMS the default
Tap Set on the banner on the home screen, or open Settings and tap Default SMS app (Tap to make ClearSMS the default messaging app). Choose ClearSMS in Android's dialog.
Why RCS stops
RCS (Rich Communication Services, the "chat features" with typing indicators and read receipts in Google Messages) is only available to Google Messages and a few phone makers' own apps. Android has no RCS access for other apps, so no alternative SMS app can send or receive RCS chats.
While ClearSMS is your default:
- RCS conversations pause.
- People who send you messages through RCS fall back to SMS, which ClearSMS receives.
Switch back to Google Messages for a while
In ClearSMS, open Settings and, under RCS CHATS, tap Need RCS for a moment?.
Android's default apps screen opens. Choose SMS app and select Messages (Google Messages).
When you are done, open ClearSMS and tap Set on the banner to make it the default again.
Your messages are stored by Android, not inside either app, so both apps show the same conversations after switching. While Google Messages is the default, ClearSMS does not receive new texts or clean up promotions.