Google Messages RCS Read Receipts Missing For Some Conversations

In the past week, Google Messages users have noticed that RCS read receipts are not working properly.

After you press end, the RCS message will go through the first three stages:

Timer: Your message is being sent.
Single check: Your message has been sent.
Double check: Your message has been delivered.

However, the “color-filled double check” that indicates “your message has been read” does not appear. You’re left on the hollow bubbles in perpetuity even in active conversations with multiple follow-ups and direct replies.

This issue started in the last week and has impacted the stable (version 20250131_02_RC00) and beta release. Users have not made any changes to the Settings > RCS chats > Send read receipts. Unchecking and rechecking that toggle does not make any difference.

For some, not all conversations have this issue. Meanwhile, this is impacting both the double bubble design for read receipts and the newer single circle look, which has not widely rolled out, that appears directly in the message.

The absence of read receipts in Google Messages looks to be a widespread issue.