Pixel users hit by trio of glitches: RCS “carrier not supported,” Messages demanding Play Services update, and WhatsApp mic woes

If you own a recent Pixel, you might’ve noticed your phone acting up in a few annoying ways over the past few days. Reports are piling up around three separate issues: Google Messages suddenly insisting RCS isn’t supported by your carrier, the app refusing to run unless you “update Google Play Services,” and a WhatsApp microphone quirk that leaves voice notes oddly quiet. None of these are catastrophic on their own, but together they’ve made routine messaging feel rough for a chunk of users.

RCS chats suddenly “not supported” by carriers

It seems many Pixel (and other Android devices) owners are suddenly seeing RCS go dark with a “chat features not supported by your carrier” or plain “not supported” alert in Google Messages. Reports span multiple threads and regions (1,2,3,4,5,6), including users in Bulgaria on Vivacom and A1, as well as folks who say RCS flipped to “unsupported” across both SIMs at once. In several cases, friends on the same carrier kept RCS while others lost it, hinting at something beyond a single-network outage.

Luckily, workarounds are floating around. Trying to uninstall and reinstall Google Messages or Carrier Services, clearing cache and data, then restarting the phone has helped a few. Give it a shot and let me know if it worked for you in the comments. 

This adds to the other RCS issues users are facing, as we highlighted a week ago.

Messages won’t run unless you update Google Play Services

Shifting gears to another messaging mess, Pixel users – and even some Samsung folks – are getting nagged by Google Messages to update Google Play Services before the app will run. The kicker? Play Services is already fully updated in the Play Store, leaving people stuck in a loop.

This pops up when opening the app, editing contacts, or checking message details, sometimes causing crashes or forcing users out of their Google accounts. Reports poured in from Pixel 8 owners in Canada and beyond, with one noting it started a few days ago but texts still send okay for now. On Samsung S24 Ultra and S25 devices, it’s the same story, especially for beta testers of Play Services, where uninstalling updates led to lost data like saved cards or chat history.

Beta participation seems to amp up the problem, so leaving the program, clearing app cache, or just ignoring the alert (if messages work) are common tips. 

WhatsApp microphone going quiet on Pixels

It seems many Pixel owners are still being troubled by a persistent bug that silences their microphones on WhatsApp calls. Our sister site, Tech Issues Today, flagged this back in January, noting WhatsApp’s mic going mute during background calls on Android. And judging by recent reports from Pixel users (1,2,3,4,5,6,7), it seems there’s still no proper fix.

Reports describe voices sounding distant unless shouting into the phone, with the mic sometimes tanking in other apps post-WhatsApp use until a reboot. It’s not always hardware – mics work fine in calls, Telegram, or the built-in recorder, but WhatsApp recordings pick up static or faint audio. Some users point to software bugs, possibly tied to app permissions or Android 16 updates, while others found dust in the bottom mic port to blame. Snapchat’s also been hit, with no audio in videos for some.

User suggestions are cleaning the microphone hole or reinstalling the app. But neither of these things really guarantees a fix. 

It’s easy to get annoyed when basic features stop working, especially on a device you rely on daily. Hopefully, Google and WhatsApp are taking notice of these widespread issues.

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