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If you’re using an Android smartphone, your phone may already have the Google Messages app installed. Google Messages is the standard messaging app for Android and is used to send and receive SMS.
Regular smartphone users may need clarification if they see “Sent as SMS via server” as the message status instead of Sent, Received, and Delivered. If you are reading this guide, you may have noticed an unknown status “Sent as SMS via server” right next to the SMS you have sent.
What does sent as SMS via server mean in Android?
Have you ever wondered What does Sent as SMS via server mean? If not, you have landed on the correct page. In this article, we will discuss what ‘Send as SMS via server’ means and how to prevent it from appearing. Let us begin.
What does sent as SMS via server mean?
People were used to SMS read receipts like ‘Read, sent and delivered’. However, the appearance of ‘Sent as SMS via server’ next to SMS can be worrisome, especially if you haven’t changed anything in the stock Messages app for Android.
To understand what ‘Sent as SMS via server’ means, you first need to know the RCS (Rich Communication Service) protocol that Google launched in 2020.
RCS or Rich Communication Services is an upgrade over SMS. It is a protocol between mobile operators and phones. Instead of relying on the cellular network, the use of RCS relies on an Internet connection.
It uses your internet data to send and receive messages and provides various useful chat features. The Google Messages app for Android comes with built-in support for RCS.
So if you see the status ‘Sent as SMS via server’, the An SMS has been sent via the RCS protocol. This confirms that the recipient has the RCS function activated and received the SMS.
How to fix ‘Sent as SMS via server’?
Sending as SMS through a server is not a bug, nor should it bother you. It simply means that the SMS has been successfully sent via RCS.
However, if you are already used to ‘Send’, ‘Received’ and ‘Delivered’ SMS statuses, you may find ‘Sent as SMS via server’ a bit annoying.
So there is NO solution for ‘Sent as SMS via server’ as long as you use RCS features. However, if you don’t want to see the status, you should remove it by following the methods shared below.
1. Enable Show When Delivered Option
If you are using the Google Messages app to receive and send SMS, you need to enable SMS delivery reports. Enabling SMS delivery reports will immediately stop the ‘Sent as SMS via server’ status message.
1. First, open the Google messages application on your smartphone.
2. When the app opens, touch the profile picture in the upper right corner.
3. From the list of options, select ‘Message settings’.
4. Next, scroll down and tap Advanced.
5. Now in the Advanced screen, scroll down and enable the ‘Get SMS delivery reports‘ option.
That is all! You can hide the ‘Sent as SMS via server’ status in the standard SMS application.
2. Delete the cache of Google messages
If the message “Sent as SMS via server” still appears even after enabling SMS delivery reports, you should try clearing the application cache. This is what you should do.
1. First, open the settings application on your Android smartphone.
2. When the Settings app opens, scroll down and tap the Applications.
3. Now, you will see a list of all the apps installed on your device. Here you must search and tap on the Messages.
4. Now, touch the storage usage on the application information screen.
5. On the next screen, tap on clear cache.
That is all! This is how you can fix ‘Sent as SMS via server’ message on Android smartphone.
3. Boot your phone in safe mode
If you suspect that other apps are interfering with your SMS functionality, you should start your phone in safe mode and check. Doing so will remove all pre-installed apps and keep SMS features enabled.
After entering safe mode, try to send an SMS. If the message “Sent as SMS via server” appears even in safe mode, it is due to RCS features. However, if the message does not appear, then you should investigate the apps installed on your smartphone.
We have shared a detailed guide on how to enter safe mode on android smartphone. You can follow that guide to know the steps.
So this guide is about what is sent as SMS via Server Mean. We have also shared methods to resolve the message. If you need any further help related to ‘Sent as SMS via server’, please let us know in the comments below.
