RCS Messaging Overview
RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the modern successor to SMS/MMS — it lets you send branded, interactive messages instead of plain text.
What RCS adds over SMS/MMS
| SMS | MMS | RCS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branding | Just a phone number | Just a phone number | Your business name and logo shown |
| Rich media | No | Basic, inconsistent | Native support for images, cards |
| Buttons | No | No | Tappable buttons (call, open a link, quick reply) |
| Carousels | No | No | Yes — swipeable multi-card layouts |
| Read receipts | No | No | Often available |
If a recipient's device or carrier doesn't support RCS, the message automatically falls back to standard SMS — you don't have to build two versions or worry about who will and won't receive it.
Availability
RCS currently works best on modern Android phones using Google Messages or a carrier-supported messaging app. iPhone support is more limited and depends on the recipient's device and carrier. Since fallback to SMS is automatic, this mostly just affects whether a given recipient sees the rich version or the plain-text version — the message still gets there either way.
What's needed before you can send
RCS requires a one-time setup and approval process, since carriers vet the business identity behind every RCS sender:
- Your business name, website, support contact, address, and logo
- A documented opt-in process for contacts you'll message
- Approval of your sender profile by the carriers before you can send live traffic
Because this involves carrier-level registration, get this started well before you plan to launch an RCS campaign — contact support to begin the process, since sender profile approval isn't instant.
Once you're approved
See Sending RCS Messages for building templates and sending to your contacts.
Was this article helpful?