RCS messaging is new in iOS 18. If your phone carrier supports it, it is used when sending messages to Android phones. On iOS 17 and earlier (as well as on phone carriers that are yet to support RCS), SMS and MMS are used to send these messages.

If you use iOS 18 with Mozilla VPN and your carrier supports RCS messaging, you may find yourself unable to send and receive messages when the VPN is active. Apple is aware of this issue. Until it’s resolved, disabling RCS while using Mozilla VPN is the best workaround.

Disabling the RCS protocol means that messages to Android devices will be received and delivered using the SMS and MMS protocols, just as they were prior to your upgrade to iOS 18.

What caused the issue?

The RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging feature in iOS 18 is currently incompatible with Apple’s implementation of VPNs. When a VPN is active, RCS messages can neither be sent nor received. This is a known limitation from Apple’s side, and a fix is expected in future iOS updates.

Workaround: Disable RCS Messaging

Follow these steps to disable RCS messaging on your iPhone when using Mozilla VPN. This will allow you to continue sending and receiving messages through standard SMS/MMS protocols. It won’t affect message functionality; you can still send texts, videos and images.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Messages.
3. In the Messages settings, locate and tap RCS Messaging (if available).

   Note: If the RCS Messaging option is not shown, then your carrier doesn’t support RCS yet.

4. Toggle RCS Messaging off.

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