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RCS-Campaigns
The next generation of business messaging

Launch rich RCS campaigns faster with 500+ industry-ready templates

Customize, connect, and deploy branded RCS messages through your preferred provider. Beautiful, interactive campaigns, without building everything from scratch.

Watch Video Overview
Loved by fast-moving teams
500+
Ready-made templates
100+
Conversation flows
12+
Industries covered
4×
Higher engagement vs SMS
9:41
SC
Summit Conference
Business · RCS
Today
Hey Jordan 👋 your VIP pass is ready. Swipe through today's highlights:
Keynote
Your VIP Day 1
Front-row keynote + a surprise drop at 4pm.
Lounge
Lounge pass
All-day access · open bar & fast wifi.
After-party
After-party
9pm · marina deck · rooftop DJ set.
Add to calendarUpgrade seatSTOP Delivered
RCS message

Template packs built for every industry

EventsHospitalityAgenciesNonprofitsSaaSConsultingRetailRestaurantsReal EstateHealthcareEducationTravelEventsHospitalityAgenciesNonprofitsSaaSConsultingRetailRestaurantsReal EstateHealthcareEducationTravel
What is RCS?

SMS just grew up. Meet Rich Communication Services.

RCS is the next evolution of texting. Instead of plain gray bubbles, you send branded, interactive, media-rich messages that feel like a polished app, right inside your customer's native messaging inbox. No new app to download.

Old way · SMS😐
9:41
?
+1 (415) 555‑0148
SMS · Unknown sender
FLASH SALE 30% OFF TODAY ONLY. Reply STOP to opt out. Shop: bit.ly/x9f2a
Text message
  • · Plain text, 160 characters, no branding
  • · Shady-looking short links
  • · No images, buttons, or interactivity
  • · You can't tell who really sent it
New way · RCS🤩
9:41
Atelier Nine
Business · RCS
Spring Collection ✨
Your 30% offer is live ✨

Hey Jordan, the pieces you saved are 30% off for 48 hours. Tap to shop before they sell out.

Notify meShow my size
RCS message
  • · Verified, branded sender
  • · Images, carousels & buttons
  • · Two-way, app-like conversations
  • · Read receipts & rich analytics
Images & video
Tappable buttons
Carousels
Suggested replies
Location sharing
Read confirmations
Appointment reminders
Offers & coupons
See it in action

A complete concierge flow, start to finish

One RCS thread handles check-in, two-way questions, upsells, and bookings: an app-like experience with no app to download.

Check-in & mobile key

A branded rich card delivers the room and a tap-to-unlock key.

Guest replies in one tap

Suggested replies turn questions into instant, structured answers.

Concierge upsells naturally

Late checkout and spa offers, booked right in the thread.

Human handoff anytime

Hand off to staff the moment a guest needs a person.

9:41
Azure Hotels · Concierge
Business · RCS
Today
Welcome to Azure Hotels, Jordan 👋 I'm your digital concierge, here whenever you need me.
Ocean Suite
You're checked in early ✨

Suite 1204 is ready. Your mobile key is right here: tap to unlock.

Late checkout?Book the spaDinner ideas
Late checkout?
Of course! I can hold your suite until 2pm free, or until 4pm for $40. Which would you prefer?
2pm, free4pm, $40
2pm, free
Done ✅ Late checkout is set for 2pm. Anything else I can arrange?
Book the spaDinner ideas
Book the spa
Aqua Spa
Two evening slots left

A 60-minute massage at Aqua Spa today. Which time works for you?

5:30 PM
Booked 💆 Your 5:30 massage is confirmed and added to your wallet. Enjoy your stay, Jordan!
Talk to a human
RCS message
Product overview

A searchable library of 500+ designed templates

Browse by industry, campaign goal, tone, provider, and use case. Preview a template, make it yours, and launch, all in one streamlined workflow built for marketing teams.

Previewing 12 of 500+ templates, sign up to search the full library →
Events
Summit Conference
Verified · RCS
VIP Lounge
🎟️ Your VIP pass is live

Doors open an hour early just for you, {{first_name}}: front-row keynote, lounge access, and a 4pm surprise drop. Lock in VIP before midnight.

I'll be thereSend details

VIP Early-Bird Drop

PromotionEnergetic
CarouselButtonsCountdown
How RCS works for Events
Hospitality
Azure Hotels
Verified · RCS
Ocean Suite
🌊 Your Ocean Suite is ready

Welcome, {{first_name}}! Your suite for {{check_in}} is confirmed and your mobile key is one tap away. Add a sunset-view upgrade?

Early check-in?Add breakfast

Booking Confirmed

TransactionalWarm
Rich cardMapReply
How RCS works for Hospitality
SaaS
Flowbase
Verified · RCS
Pro plan
⏳ Your {{plan}} plan renews {{date}}

You've sent 3,200 messages this month, {{first_name}}. Keep the momentum, upgrade for more, or chat with us in a tap.

Keep my planSee pricing

Renewal Reminder

RetentionHelpful
Suggested repliesButtons
How RCS works for SaaS
Nonprofit
Open Hands
Verified · RCS
This week
💚 Look what you made possible

Because of you, {{first_name}}, 240 families ate this week. See their faces, and double your impact before Friday's match ends.

Count me inShare story

Donor Impact Story

EngagementHeartfelt
ImageCarouselDonate
How RCS works for Nonprofit
Retail
Nova Goods
Verified · RCS
48h only
🔥 48 hours. 30% off. Just for you.

{{first_name}}, the pieces you keep coming back to are on sale till Sunday midnight. Shop your favorites before they sell out.

Notify meShow sizes

Weekend Flash Sale

PromotionPunchy
CarouselCouponButtons
How RCS works for Retail
Consulting
North Peak
Verified · RCS
Proposal
📄 Your proposal is ready

Hi {{first_name}}, scope, timeline, and pricing are all in here. Review it in two minutes and grab a time to kick off.

Sounds goodPick a time

Proposal Follow-Up

ConversionProfessional
PDFCalendarReply
How RCS works for Consulting
Healthcare
Lakeside Health
Verified · RCS
Tue · 9:40 AM
🩺 Your visit is coming up, {{first_name}}

You're booked with Dr. Patel on {{date}}. Confirm in a tap, or pick a new time from the next open slots, no phone tag required.

See open timesAdd to calendar

Appointment Reminder

TransactionalHelpful
ReminderCarouselCalendar
How RCS works for Healthcare
Retail
Nova Goods
Verified · RCS
Live tracking
📦 Out for delivery: arriving today

Good news, {{first_name}}! Order #{{order_id}} is on the truck and arriving by {{eta}}. Follow it on the map or tell us where to leave it.

Leave at doorReschedule

Order On Its Way

TransactionalWarm
MapLive trackingButtons
How RCS works for Retail
Financial Services
Northbank
Verified · RCS
Verified sender
🔐 Your one-time code: 481 920

Use this code to sign in, {{first_name}}. It expires in 10 minutes. Northbank will never ask you to share it. The ✓ badge confirms it's really us.

This wasn't me

Verified Login Code

TransactionalMinimal
Verified senderOTPAnti-phishing
How RCS works for Financial Services
Financial Services
Northbank
Verified · RCS
Just now
⚠️ Did you make this purchase?

We spotted a $482.19 charge at TechMart, {{first_name}}. If it was you, tap to approve; if not, block your card instantly, right from here.

Call support

Card Activity Alert

TransactionalProfessional
Fraud alertInstant actionButtons
How RCS works for Financial Services
Hospitality
Azure Hotels
Verified · RCS
10 seconds
⭐ How was your stay, {{first_name}}?

We hope the Ocean Suite treated you well! Tap a rating below, and if anything fell short, tell us and we'll make it right before you check out.

★★★★★Tell us more

Rate Your Stay

FeedbackWarm
Star ratingSurveyReply
How RCS works for Hospitality
Retail
Nova Goods
Verified · RCS
New in
🛍️ Fresh drops, picked for you

Swipe through this season's arrivals, {{first_name}}. Tap any piece to see sizes and check out without ever leaving the chat.

Show my sizeSave for later

Shop the New Collection

PromotionPlayful
CarouselCatalogCheckout
How RCS works for Retail

500+ ready-made templates

A searchable library covering every campaign you can imagine.

Industry-specific packs

Curated bundles built for your vertical, out of the box.

Drag-and-edit customization

Swap copy, colors, and media without touching code.

Rich cards & actions

Buttons, carousels, images, and suggested replies built in.

Provider-ready exports

Export clean payloads for your messaging provider.

Campaign-ready copy

Persuasive, on-brand layouts written to convert.

Team-friendly workflow

Share, duplicate, and ship together in one place.

Fast launch

Go from idea to live campaign in minutes, not weeks.

Backend providers

Build once. Connect any provider.

RCS Campaigns is provider-flexible. Design your templates one time, then connect them to the backend that fits your stack. Switch or add providers whenever you need to.

No vendor lock-in Switch providers anytime One template, many backends

RCS features by provider

A high-level look at RCS Business Messaging support. Summarized from each provider's public docs; verify specifics on their RCS page.

FeatureSureshot logoSureshotSignalmash logoSignalmashTwilio logoTwilioVonage logoVonageBandwidth logoBandwidth
Rich cards
Carousels
Suggested replies & actions
Media (images / video / files)
Branded & verified sender
Two-way messaging?
Read receipts & typing
SMS / MMS fallback
Delivery & analytics
Global / multi-carrier reach
Supported Partial / limited? Not documented
Sureshot logo
Sureshot

Marketing-native RCS for B2C teams, with consent & compliance built in.

Standout: TCPA-compliant consent management, pre-flight message scanning & unified analytics.

Sureshot RCS page
Signalmash logo
Signalmash

Boutique CPaaS with a no-code RCS Studio, focused on US senders.

Standout: Drag-and-drop RCS Studio with direct US carrier connections & hands-on sender registration.

Signalmash RCS page
Twilio logo
Twilio

Programmable messaging at global scale: RCS in one API alongside SMS, MMS & WhatsApp.

Standout: Content Template Builder with automatic SMS/MMS fallback across 23+ countries.

Twilio RCS page
Vonage logo
Vonage

RCS through the unified Vonage Messages API for developers.

Standout: One Messages API spanning RCS, SMS, MMS & WhatsApp; carousels of 2–10 cards.

Vonage RCS page
Bandwidth logo
Bandwidth

US-focused RCS with direct carrier relationships and registration expertise.

Standout: Registered Google RBM partner; upgrades existing 10DLC / Toll-Free / Short Code traffic.

Bandwidth RCS page
Pre-vetted campaign submission

Skip the approval maze. Launch in days, not weeks.

Getting an RCS campaign live means clearing Google brand and agent verification, carrier and telecom review, and each provider's own content rules: a slow, opaque process where a single missed detail sends you back to the start. RCS Campaigns streamlines it using patterns from campaigns that are already approved.

Why RCS campaigns get stuck

Google brand & agent verification

Before a single message sends, your brand and RCS agent must be verified by Google. Incomplete branding, logos, or sample messages bounce the application back to the start.

Often 1–3 weeks

Carrier & telecom review

Mobile operators review agents and campaigns market-by-market, each with their own rules. A campaign cleared in one region can stall waiting on another carrier's queue.

Varies by region

Provider-specific requirements

Twilio, Vonage, Bandwidth and others each have their own submission formats, content policies, and opt-in proof. Miss a detail and you're back in the queue for another round.

Different per provider
Streamlined path

Approvals built on what already works

Instead of guessing what Google and the carriers want, you start from templates shaped by campaigns that have already cleared review. The branding, opt-in language, and message structure are already aligned with what gets approved, so you submit with confidence and spend far less time in rejection loops.

  • Modeled on similar, already-approved campaigns
  • Fewer rejections and resubmissions
  • Submission formatted correctly per provider
  • Hands-on support to resolve reviewer flags
Get help submitting your campaign
  1. 1

    Start from a pre-vetted template

    Your campaign is built on a structure modeled after similar campaigns that have already been approved: content, branding, and opt-in patterns reviewers expect.

  2. 2

    Submit against a guided checklist

    We map your assets to each gatekeeper's requirements up front, so brand verification, sample messages, and use-case justification are complete before you submit.

  3. 3

    Clear Google & the carriers

    Submissions go in the right format for each provider and market, reducing the rejection-and-resubmit loops that cause most of the delay.

  4. 4

    Go live with support

    If a reviewer flags something, we help you resolve it directly with the provider, so you reach live status without losing weeks to back-and-forth.

Approval timelines and requirements are set by Google and the mobile carriers and vary by brand, use case, and region. RCS Campaigns can't guarantee approval, but a pre-vetted, correctly-formatted submission is the single biggest lever for getting through review faster.

Pro features

Go from templates to intelligent campaigns

Pro turns your template library into a personalized, AI-powered messaging engine, no full engineering team required.

Upload CSV, personalize everything

Map customer variables in seconds.

customers.csv
first_namebooking_dateoffer
JordanJun 14VIP -20%

Personalize messages with names, dates, booking details, offers, event info, and any custom field you bring.

{{first_name}}{{booking_date}}{{offer}}{{event}}

AI automated responses

Let AI answer every reply, 24/7.

Can I move my reservation to Saturday?
Absolutely, Jordan, Saturday 7pm is open. Tap to confirm and I'll update your booking 🎉

Let AI answer customer responses, route questions, suggest next actions, or hand off to a human at exactly the right moment.

Auto-answer
Smart routing
Human handoff

Conversation flows

Multi-step journeys that respond, branch, and follow up.

Browse 100+ flows
Trigger
Booking confirmed
Send rich card
Confirmation + options
If guest replies
AI answers & rebooks
If complex
Hand off to a human

Chain templates into automated journeys: drip campaigns, reminders, re-engagement, and concierge experiences. Each step can wait, branch on the customer's reply, or let AI take over. Start from 100+ ready-made flows across every industry.

Triggers & schedulesReply-based branchingAI auto-responsesHuman handoffDrip & follow-up
PRO

Build smarter campaign flows, branching journeys, triggers, and AI conversations, without needing a full engineering team.

See Pro pricing
AI knowledge base

AI that answers from your knowledge base

Connect your FAQs, policies, listings, and docs. The AI replies to RCS messages with accurate, grounded answers, suggests the next action, and hands off to a human when needed.

Connect your knowledge base

FAQs, policies, listings, menus, and docs: your content becomes the source of truth.

Grounded, accurate answers

Replies are pulled from your knowledge base, not guessed, so guests get the right answer.

Suggests the next action

Book, upgrade, reschedule, or pay: the AI turns answers into one-tap actions.

Human handoff anytime

When a question needs a person, it escalates to your team instantly.

Want the full breadth of AI?

Explore AI Ambassador, purpose-built AI experiences for events, vacation rentals, hotels, and nonprofits.

Explore AI Ambassador
9:41
Lakeview Resort · AI
Business · RCS
Today
Hi {{first_name}} 👋 I'm Lakeview's AI assistant. Ask me anything about your stay.
What time is checkout?
Checkout is 11:00 AM. I can extend it to 2:00 PM free for you. Want me to set that up?
Yes, extendIs parking free?
Yes, extend
Done ✅ Your checkout is now 2:00 PM, no charge. Anything else I can help with?
Is parking free?
Yes 🅿️ Self-parking is complimentary in the Level 2 garage, and your room key opens the gate.
Any vegan dinner spots nearby?
Two favorites from our local guide, both with tables open tonight. Want me to book one?
4-min walk
Green Fork

Plant-based, farm-to-table. Table for 2 open at 7:30.

By the marina
Lotus Kitchen

Vegan Thai, waterfront seating. Open from 8:00.

Book Green Fork
Booked 🍽️ Table for 2 at Green Fork tonight, 7:30 PM. Added to your wallet. Anything else, {{first_name}}?
Talk to a human
RCS message
RCS surveys

Collect feedback with one-tap RCS surveys

Turn post-visit follow-ups into conversations people actually finish. RCS surveys deliver branded, tappable questions — ratings, scales, and polls — right in the messaging app, where response rates leave email forms behind.

Answers in one tap

Respondents answer with buttons and suggested replies, not by typing into a form. Less friction means more completed surveys.

Higher response rates

Surveys land in the messaging app people already read, from a branded sender they trust — routinely beating email questionnaires.

Ratings, scales & polls

Star ratings, 1–5 scales, NPS, multiple choice, and review prompts — all delivered and answered inside the message thread.

Branches by answer

Each answer chooses the next question, so every respondent gets a short, relevant path instead of one long form.

RCS SurveysComing soon

We're building a dedicated home for RCS surveys — templates, branching flows, and reporting. Follow along at rcs-surveys.com.

Visit rcs-surveys.com
9:41
Lakeview Resort
Business · RCS
Today
Hi {{first_name}} 👋 Thanks for choosing Lakeview. How was your stay?
Loved it ⭐It was okayCould be better
Loved it ⭐
That makes our day 🙌 One last thing — what did you love most?
The roomThe serviceThe location
The service
Noted, thank you! Here's 10% off your next stay as a thank-you 💜
Claim offer
RCS message
Agent-native

Now your templates are agent-native

Beyond a human dashboard: an authenticated gateway lets autonomous AI agents discover, author, clone, render, and send RCS campaign templates programmatically — exposed as an MCP server, a CLI, and an embeddable client.

agent-toolkit
$ claude mcp add rcs-campaigns \
--env RCS_AGENT_KEY=rcsk_live_… \
-- npx -y -p @rcs-campaigns/agent-toolkit rcs-mcp
✓ 48 tools registered
› search_templates "appointment reminder"
› clone_template tpl_8f2a…
› send_message --to +1555…

MCP server

rcs-mcpPro

Drop the library into any MCP-capable agent

CLI

rcsPro

JSON in, JSON out — pipe it anywhere

Typed client

GatewayClient

Embed the gateway in your own code

One tool catalog
capabilitiessearch_templatesget_templaterender_templatecreate_templateupdate_templateduplicate_templatedelete_templateclone_templatesubmit_templatesend_messagesearch_surveysget_surveyrender_surveycreate_surveyclone_surveydelete_surveysubmit_surveysend_surveyupdate_surveylist_survey_sendssend_survey_testget_resultsupload_mediaget_knowledgeset_knowledgedelete_knowledgeenable_knowledgedisable_knowledgeget_usagesearch_audiencesget_audiencelist_audience_contactscreate_audienceimport_contactsdelete_audiencelist_conversationsget_conversationreplyassign_conversationlist_webhookscreate_webhookupdate_webhookdelete_webhooktest_webhooklist_contactsget_contactupdate_contact
Scoped agent keys Approval gate + rate limits 4 ready-made skill chains

Least-privilege keys, the same provider-approval gate as the human app, and packaged workflows from find-and-buy to campaign-in-a-box.

Read the agent docs
Video overview

See how RCS Campaigns works

Watch a quick walkthrough: choose a template, customize it, connect your provider, upload variables, and launch a campaign, start to finish in minutes.

Pricing

Simple plans that scale with your campaigns

Start free, upgrade when you're ready to launch. Every plan is built to help marketing teams move faster.

Free

Explore the library and test RCS ideas.

$0
  • Full access to 500+ templates
  • 10 free RCS sends to test
  • Template previews & customization
  • Community updates

Best for testing RCS ideas

Recommended

Pro

Everything you need to launch real campaigns.

$49/mo

≈ $0.10 per message

  • 500 RCS messages / month
  • Full access to 500+ templates
  • CSV variable uploads
  • AI / LLM response handling
  • Agent toolkit: MCP server, CLI & gateway keys
  • Provider integrations
  • Direct campaign submission to all providers, with support to resolve any issues
  • Template customization
  • Campaign-ready exports

Best for growing teams & agencies

Enterprise

Scale RCS across brands, teams, and regions.

Custom
  • Everything in Pro, plus:
  • Custom template libraries
  • Advanced provider setup
  • Dedicated onboarding
  • Team permissions
  • Custom AI workflows & agent skill chains
  • Priority support

Best for large brands & high-volume teams

FAQ

Questions, answered

New to RCS? Search 50+ answers, or browse from the basics through exactly how RCS Campaigns gets you live.

RCS basics

New to RCS? Start here.

RCS stands for Rich Communication Services, and it's basically text messaging's long-overdue upgrade. It's the modern standard behind the chat features in Google Messages and, since 2024, Apple's Messages app, and it turns plain gray texts into branded, app-like conversations: your logo and verified name at the top, images and video, swipeable product carousels, tappable buttons, and suggested replies. When a business uses it to reach customers you'll sometimes see it called RCS Business Messaging (RBM), which is the same technology sent from a verified brand profile. The best part for your customers: it all happens inside the texting app already on their phone, with nothing new to install.

Rich Communication Services. It's an industry messaging standard maintained by the GSMA (the global association of mobile operators) under its Universal Profile, which is the shared spec that lets carriers, Google, and Apple all speak the same richer language on top of regular texting. The word that matters most is "rich": where SMS gives you 160 plain characters, RCS adds images, video, branding, buttons, and real two-way conversation.

SMS is plain gray text capped at 160 characters with no branding, no images, and no way to tell who really sent it. RCS is the modern upgrade, delivered right inside the customer's native messaging app with no separate app to download. With RCS you get a verified, branded sender (your name, logo, and a verification checkmark), rich cards with images and video, horizontally swipeable carousels, tappable action buttons, suggested-reply chips, and real two-way conversations. You also get delivery and read receipts plus engagement analytics, and if a recipient's device doesn't support RCS, messages gracefully fall back to SMS. The result is an app-like experience that consistently drives higher open and engagement rates than plain SMS.

An RCS message arrives branded and interactive, while a normal text is gray, unbranded, and all words. Picture the difference between a receipt and a storefront. An RCS message arrives with your business name, logo, and brand color across the top, can lead with a full-width image or video, and stacks tappable buttons ("Track order," "Reschedule," "Shop now") and suggested-reply chips right under the message. Customers can swipe through a carousel of products or appointment times without leaving the conversation. It feels less like a text blast and more like a tidy, on-brand chat.

For your customers, RCS rides over their mobile data or Wi-Fi just like other chat messages, so there's no per-message charge the way old MMS sometimes carried. There's nothing to subscribe to and nothing to pay on their end. Businesses do pay to send RCS (pricing is set by carriers and your messaging provider), but for the recipient it simply shows up in the same inbox as their everyday texts.

No, and that's one of RCS's biggest advantages. Messages land in the same texting app your customers already use every day: Google Messages on Android and the built-in Messages app on iPhone. There's no new app to download, no account to create, and no login. As long as their phone and carrier support RCS, your branded message simply shows up in their inbox next to texts from friends and family. That frictionless reach is a big reason RCS gets opened so often: you're meeting people exactly where they already are.

RBM is the business flavor of RCS: the version a brand uses to message customers from a verified profile, rather than a one-to-one chat between two people. It's the same underlying standard, but it adds the things businesses need: a verified sender identity with your logo and checkmark, rich templates, buttons and carousels, suggested replies, and analytics on delivery, reads, and engagement. When you read about brands sending order updates, appointment reminders, or promotions over RCS, RBM is what's doing the work behind the scenes.

Businesses are moving to RCS for three reasons: trust, richness, and insight. First, trust: a verified sender with your name, logo, and checkmark stands out in an inbox full of spammy unknown numbers, so people actually open it. Second, richness: images, carousels, and tappable buttons let customers act (book, pay, track, browse) without leaving the chat, which lifts conversion. Third, insight: unlike SMS, RCS reports delivery and read receipts and engagement, so you can see what's working. Add the fact that RCS now reaches both Android and iPhone, and it becomes the natural next step for any team that already runs texting campaigns.

RCS is here to stay: it's an open GSMA standard backed by the world's mobile carriers, by Google, and now by Apple, which added support in 2024. When the three parties who control the world's phones and networks all align on the same standard, that's about as durable as messaging gets. The momentum is toward more capability over time (richer features and broader encryption), not less, so investing in RCS now is building on ground that keeps getting more solid.

RCS vs other messaging

How it stacks up against SMS, WhatsApp, and iMessage.

No. RCS is built into the default texting app, while WhatsApp and iMessage are not, and that difference is the whole point. WhatsApp is a separate app your customers have to download, create an account for, and open on purpose. iMessage only works between Apple devices. RCS is built into the default texting app on both Android and iPhone, so there's nothing to install and no walled garden: your message lands in the same inbox as everyday texts from friends and family, whichever phone someone carries. In short, RCS gives you the rich, interactive feel of a chat app with the universal, no-app reach of regular texting.

SMS is the original text: up to 160 characters of plain text, no images. MMS added basic media like a single photo or short video, but it's still unbranded, low-resolution, and often pricier to send. RCS is the modern standard that supersedes both: branded sender, high-quality images and video, carousels, buttons, suggested replies, typing indicators, and read receipts, all inside the native messaging app. Think of SMS and MMS as the old black-and-white set and RCS as the smart TV that replaced it, with SMS still there as a fallback when a phone can't receive RCS.

It's upgrading SMS rather than switching it off overnight. RCS is designed to be the richer default, but it's built to fall back to SMS automatically whenever a recipient's phone or network can't receive RCS, so no message is ever lost. In practice you run one campaign and each person gets the best format their phone supports: a rich RCS message where possible, a plain text where not. SMS will be the safety net for a long while; RCS is simply where the experience (and the engagement) is headed.

Both let brands send rich, interactive messages, but the reach model is different. WhatsApp Business only reaches people who have WhatsApp installed and have opted into your messages there, which is great in markets where WhatsApp is dominant. RCS reaches people in the texting app that's already on their phone, with no app to install, so it leans on the universal habit of texting rather than a specific app's footprint. Many brands use both: WhatsApp where it's the local default, and RCS to reach the broad base of native-texting customers, especially across the US.

Largely, yes. Historically a text from an Android phone showed up green and basic in an iPhone's Messages app, with no typing indicators, low-res media, and broken group chats. Now that Apple supports RCS, messages between iPhone and Android can use RCS instead of old SMS/MMS, which means higher-quality photos and video, typing indicators, read receipts, and better group chats across platforms. The bubble may still be colored differently, but the experience inside it is dramatically closer to parity than it used to be.

"Chat features" is just the label Google Messages puts on RCS in its settings. When an Android user turns on chat features, they're turning on RCS. So they're not two different things: RCS is the open standard, and "chat features" is one app's friendly name for it. Apple's Messages app simply calls it RCS. Either way, it's the same underlying technology that lets your branded, rich messages come through.

Devices, carriers & availability

Who can receive RCS, and where.

Yes. For years RCS was effectively Android-only, but that changed when Apple added support in iOS 18 in late 2024. iPhones on a recent version of iOS now send and receive RCS through the standard Messages app, which means a single RCS campaign can reach both Android and iPhone users without building a separate version for each platform. Anyone on an older device that can't receive RCS still gets your message; it just arrives as a regular text instead.

RCS support arrived with iOS 18, so you generally need an iPhone capable of running iOS 18 or later (broadly iPhone XR/XS and newer) with the feature enabled by the carrier. It's handled in the built-in Messages app, not a separate download. Apple has continued to extend RCS support across later iOS updates, so the safe rule is: a reasonably current iPhone on an up-to-date iOS, with a carrier that has switched RCS on, can receive your rich messages, and everyone else falls back to SMS.

Yes, Android is where RCS has been mainstream the longest. It runs through Google Messages, which is the default texting app on most Android phones, where users see it as "chat features." On the vast majority of modern Android devices RCS is on by default or a single toggle away, which is why the Android base is the most reliably RCS-reachable audience today.

Support is broad and still expanding rather than universal. The major carriers in the US and many networks worldwide support RCS, often routed through Google's infrastructure, but a given person's reach depends on their specific carrier, plan, and device. This is exactly why fallback matters: you don't have to audit every recipient's carrier, because the system checks each number and delivers RCS where it's available and SMS where it isn't.

RCS is available in many countries, with the US, UK, and much of Europe well covered, and the map keeps growing as carriers and Apple's rollout expand. Availability depends on local carriers enabling it and on device support in that market. The practical answer for a sender is reassuring: you target your audience as usual, RCS reaches everyone whose carrier and phone support it, and the rest receive a clean SMS fallback, so a campaign works everywhere even when RCS coverage varies.

Usually they don't have to do anything. On most Android phones, RCS ("chat features") is on by default in Google Messages, and on supported iPhones it activates through the Messages app once the carrier enables it. If someone wants to confirm it's on, it's a quick check in their Messages settings. Because it's built into the default texting app, there's no signup step for you to walk customers through, which keeps your audience as wide as your contact list.

You don't have to figure it out manually. When you send through an RCS provider, the system checks each number's capability in real time and delivers RCS to the phones that support it and SMS to the ones that don't, all in the same campaign. In your reporting you can typically see which messages went out as RCS versus SMS, so you get a clear read on how much of your audience is RCS-reachable over time, without ever maintaining that list by hand.

The message automatically falls back to a standard SMS or MMS, so nobody gets left out. If a recipient's device or carrier can't receive RCS (an older phone, say, or a network that hasn't switched it on) it arrives as SMS or MMS instead. They still get your offer, reminder, or update; it just arrives as plain text without the rich card, buttons, and branding. You never have to manage this by hand: the system checks each number behind the scenes and delivers the richest format that phone can actually receive, every time.

Either works. RCS sends over an internet connection, so it uses whatever the phone has: mobile data or Wi-Fi. That's actually a perk over SMS, because a customer with a weak cellular signal but solid Wi-Fi can still receive your rich message. And if there's truly no data connection available, the fallback to SMS keeps the message getting through.

Security & privacy

Encryption, verification, and trust.

RCS traffic is encrypted in transit between the device and the messaging servers, so it isn't sent as plain readable text the way old SMS is. On top of that, personal one-to-one and group chats in Google Messages are end-to-end encrypted, meaning only the participants can read them. Encryption in messaging is an area that's actively expanding, with the standard moving toward end-to-end encryption that works across platforms, so the direction of travel is steadily more private, not less.

It's getting there. End-to-end encryption has been available for RCS chats within Google Messages for a while, and the GSMA standard was updated in 2025 to bring end-to-end encryption to RCS across platforms using the MLS protocol, so it can eventually protect messages sent between iPhone and Android too. That cross-platform encryption is rolling out as Apple and Google ship support, rather than being switched on everywhere at once. For sensitive personal chats the protection is real and growing; for business (A2P) messaging the priority is verified identity and in-transit security rather than the same end-to-end model.

When a brand sends RCS, it does so from a verified business profile: your name, logo, brand color, and a verification checkmark, all shown right at the top of the conversation. Instead of squinting at an unknown number, your customer sees exactly who they're talking to. That verification is reviewed by Google and the mobile carriers before you can send a single message, which makes RCS far harder to spoof than SMS and gives people real confidence that a message is genuinely from you and not a scammer impersonating your brand. That built-in trust is a big part of why customers actually engage with RCS.

Often, yes, and it's one of the things that makes RCS so useful for senders. RCS supports delivery receipts (the message reached the phone) and read receipts (the customer opened it), though read receipts depend on the recipient having that setting enabled. For the recipient it works just like read receipts in any modern chat app. For the business it means far better insight than SMS, which gives you almost no feedback on whether anything actually landed.

Meaningfully, yes. SMS travels largely unencrypted and has no built-in way to prove who sent a message, which is why it's a favorite channel for spoofing and phishing. RCS encrypts traffic in transit, adds end-to-end encryption for personal chats, and, crucially for business messaging, requires brands to verify their identity before they can send. That verified, harder-to-impersonate sender is the single biggest security upgrade for customers, because it helps them trust that a message claiming to be from their bank or pharmacy really is.

Mostly by making senders accountable. Before a brand can send business RCS, it has to pass brand and sender verification with Google and the carriers, so anonymous bulk spam can't masquerade as a trusted company the way it does over SMS. Customers see a verified name, logo, and checkmark instead of a random number, and the platforms monitor engagement signals like spam reports closely, so bad actors get flagged fast. It isn't a magic shield, but the combination of verified identity and active monitoring makes RCS a much harder place to run scams.

Yes. RCS follows the same consent rules as text marketing generally: people opt in before you message them, every message makes clear who it's from, and replying STOP unsubscribes them instantly (with HELP pointing to support). You can't message purchased lists or anyone who never agreed to hear from you. None of this is unique to RCS; if you already run a compliant SMS program, you're most of the way there. One thing worth knowing: because carriers watch RCS engagement closely, problems like high spam complaints surface fast, so good opt-in habits really matter. Every RCS Campaigns template ships with compliant opt-in and opt-out language already built in, so you start on the right side of the line.

RCS can absolutely be run compliantly; the channel doesn't change your legal obligations, it inherits them. The same frameworks that govern text and data outreach apply: get clear opt-in consent, identify yourself, honor opt-outs immediately, and handle personal data per regulations like GDPR. RCS actually helps on the trust side, because verified sender identity and easy opt-out fit neatly with what these rules expect. As always, your compliance depends on how you collect consent and manage your lists, so treat RCS like the rest of your messaging program and you'll be on solid footing.

RCS for business

Sending RCS as a brand.

At a high level: you create a verified business sender (your brand profile and "agent"), get it approved by Google and the carriers, connect to an RCS-capable messaging provider, and then design and send your campaigns. The verification and setup steps are the part that traditionally slows teams down. That's the gap RCS Campaigns closes: you start from pre-built, on-brand templates and guided setup so the submission is correct the first time, then connect your provider and send, instead of assembling all of this from scratch.

Your "agent" is the branded identity that sends your RCS messages: the business name, logo, color, description, and contact details customers see at the top of the chat, plus the checkmark that proves it's really you. To get verified you submit that brand information along with sample messages and your opt-in details for review by Google and the carriers, who confirm you are who you say you are before approving you to send. It's a one-time gate that's well worth it, because verified identity is exactly what earns the higher trust and engagement RCS is known for.

It varies, because it depends on outside reviewers (Google and the carriers), not just on you, and it commonly runs a few weeks. The biggest cause of delay is a submission that's missing or inconsistent: a logo that doesn't meet spec, sample messages that don't match your use case, or opt-in language that isn't clear. Getting it right the first time is the fastest path, which is the whole idea behind starting from pre-vetted templates and guided setup rather than a blank form.

P2P means person-to-person: two people chatting in their messaging apps. A2P means application-to-person: a business application sending messages to customers, like order updates, appointment reminders, or promotions. RCS Business Messaging is A2P, which is why it carries the extra structure around it: verified brand identity, content review, opt-in requirements, and analytics. When this site talks about RCS for marketing and customer messaging, it's A2P RCS we mean.

A lot more than a text. You can lead with a high-resolution image or video, send a single rich card with a title, description, media, and buttons, or build a horizontally swipeable carousel of cards (great for products, listings, or appointment slots). You can add tappable action buttons (open a URL, dial a number, share a location, add to calendar) and suggested-reply chips that turn a reply into a single tap. Underneath it's still a conversation, so customers can also just write back, and you can keep the thread going.

Per-message pricing for RCS is set by the carriers and your messaging provider, and it varies by market and volume, so there isn't one universal rate. Generally it's priced as a messaging channel alongside SMS, and the richer engagement is what justifies the cost for most senders. RCS Campaigns itself is about the templates, personalization, flows, and AI that make your campaigns; the actual message-sending charges come from whichever provider you connect, so you keep full control of (and visibility into) those rates.

No. In practice you work through an RCS-capable messaging provider (an aggregator or platform) that handles the connections to Google and the carriers for you, including the verification submission. You bring your brand and your campaigns; the provider brings the plumbing. RCS Campaigns is provider-flexible, so you connect the gateway you prefer and we help you wire it up, rather than locking you into one relationship.

Yes, and this is one of RCS's biggest upgrades over SMS. Because RCS is a richer, two-way channel, you can see delivery receipts, read receipts (when enabled by the recipient), button taps and clicks, and replies, which together give you a real picture of engagement rather than the near-total blind spot SMS leaves you with. That visibility lets you see which templates, offers, and flows actually move customers, and iterate accordingly.

It removes most of the friction that holds plain SMS back, which is why brands consistently see stronger results. A verified, branded sender gets opened more because it's recognizable and trusted; rich cards and buttons let customers act in a tap instead of copying a link or switching apps; and two-way replies plus suggested chips keep conversations moving. Your exact numbers will depend on your audience and offers, but the mechanics, more trust and less friction at every step, are squarely pointed at higher engagement and conversion.

Yes on both counts. RCS is genuinely two-way, so customers can reply in the same thread, and suggested-reply chips make responding as easy as a tap. You can automate those conversations with flows that trigger the right follow-up based on how someone replies, and with RCS Campaigns Pro you can layer in an AI assistant, grounded in your own knowledge base, that answers questions, reschedules, and routes to a human when things get complex. That keeps conversations moving around the clock without anyone watching the inbox.

Using RCS Campaigns

How the product works.

No, it's built for marketing and ops teams, not developers. Every template is drag-and-edit: swap the copy, colors, images, buttons, and suggested replies in a visual editor without touching code. When you're ready to send, you connect your provider once and reuse it for every campaign. Pro layers on CSV personalization (map fields like first name, booking date, or offer in a few clicks), multi-step conversation flows, and AI automated responses, all configurable by anyone on the team. Developers can go deeper via your provider's API if you want to, but nothing here requires it.

500+ professionally designed, campaign-ready templates spanning 80+ categories across 12+ industries (retail, hospitality, healthcare, events, real estate, finance, automotive, and more) plus 100+ ready-made multi-step conversation flows. Every template ships with polished copy, on-brand media, and the right buttons and suggested replies already in place, so you start from something proven rather than a blank canvas. Full access to the entire library is included on every plan, including Free; Pro and Enterprise add personalization, AI automated responses, flows, and higher send volumes on top.

We're provider-flexible, so you're never locked in. Sureshot.io and Twilio are active now, with Signalmash, Vonage, and Bandwidth coming soon, and you can always bring your own RCS gateway and we'll help you wire it up. The key idea is build once, connect anywhere: you design and personalize your templates a single time, then point them at whichever backend fits your stack. Switch providers or add new ones whenever you need to, without rebuilding a thing.

Yes. On Pro you can upload a CSV and map fields like first name, appointment date, order number, or a custom offer into any template in a few clicks, so every recipient gets a message that reads like it was written for them. Personalization works hand in hand with conversation flows and AI replies, which means you can tailor not just the first message but the whole back-and-forth. It's the difference between a generic blast and a message that feels one-to-one, at scale.

Yes. With Pro, an LLM grounded in your own knowledge base (FAQs, policies, listings, hours, pricing, and docs) can answer customer responses in your brand voice, around the clock. It handles real back-and-forth: answering questions, rebooking or updating reservations, routing inquiries, suggesting the right next action, and handing off to a human the moment a conversation gets complex or high-value. Pair it with conversation flows to trigger the right message at the right time, branch on how the customer replies, and follow up automatically, so conversations keep moving even outside business hours.

Yes. Bring-your-own-gateway is a core part of the design, so if you already have an RCS provider or sender set up, you can connect it and keep your existing numbers and relationships. If you don't, you can start with one of our active integrations like Sureshot.io or Twilio. Either way you build and personalize your templates once and route them through whatever backend you choose, which keeps you in control and avoids lock-in.

RCS Campaigns is free to start, and Pro is $49 per month. The Free plan includes full access to the 500+ template library plus 10 free RCS sends to test, so you can explore the whole thing before paying anything. Pro adds 500 RCS messages a month, CSV personalization, AI automated responses, conversation flows, the agent toolkit, and provider integrations, with Enterprise for higher volumes and custom needs. Note that the per-message sending charges come from whichever provider you connect, separate from your plan, so you keep full visibility into those rates.

Approval from scratch commonly takes weeks, because it depends on the gatekeepers, not on us. Every RCS campaign has to clear Google brand and agent verification, review by the mobile carriers and telecoms (which varies market by market), and each provider's own content and opt-in rules. A single missing logo, sample message, or opt-in detail can send the application back to the start. RCS Campaigns streamlines it: because your campaign starts from templates modeled on similar campaigns that are already approved, with branding, opt-in language, and message structure aligned to what reviewers expect, you submit correctly the first time and avoid most rejection-and-resubmit loops. We also help resolve any flags directly with the provider. We can't guarantee approval (those decisions are Google's and the carriers'), but a pre-vetted, correctly formatted submission is the biggest lever for getting live faster.

Agents & automation

Use RCS Campaigns from AI agents, MCP, and the CLI.

Yes. RCS Campaigns is agent-native. An authenticated gateway (/api/agent) lets an autonomous AI agent discover, author, clone, render, and send RCS campaign templates without anyone clicking through a dashboard. The same gateway is exposed three ways over one typed contract: a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, a command-line tool, and an embeddable client. So whether you're building on Claude, an agent SDK, or your own service, the platform behaves like a first-class tool rather than a website you have to script a browser against.

Yes. The @rcs-campaigns/agent-toolkit ships an MCP server called rcs-mcp (hand-rolled, zero runtime dependencies, JSON-RPC over stdio). Register it once with any MCP host — for Claude it's a single `claude mcp add` command pointing at npx -p @rcs-campaigns/agent-toolkit rcs-mcp with your gateway URL and agent key — and your agent gains 48 native tools spanning templates, conversational surveys, grounding knowledge, audiences, contacts, the conversation inbox, webhooks, and usage — starting with capabilities, which returns the whole catalog plus the scopes your key actually holds. The MCP server is available on the Pro plan.

Yes to both. Under the hood everything runs over the /api/agent HTTP gateway, and the agent toolkit wraps it as a JSON-in/JSON-out CLI (the `rcs` command) so you can search, render, clone, create, and send from a shell, CI, or an agent loop — pipe it straight into jq. There's also a typed GatewayClient you can embed in your own code. The packaged MCP server and CLI are Pro-plan features; the gateway and typed client are available to embed in your own service.

Agents authenticate with scoped API keys (prefixed rcsk_), minted by an org admin and shown only once before being stored as a hash. Each key carries a least-privilege set of scopes — read, write, submit, clone, send, usage — so a key can only do what it was minted for, and it's revocable at any time. The agent gateway is a separate rail from the human app: neither token works on the other's surface. Sending is hardened too — destinations are validated as E.164 numbers, the gateway is rate-limited, and an agent send must clear the exact same provider-approval gate as a human send, so there's no back door to ship an unapproved template.

Yes. Four packaged skill chains string the tools into repeatable jobs: find-and-buy-template (shop the marketplace and clone the best fit), author-and-publish (turn a brief into a validated template and submit it for approval), campaign-in-a-box (clone, validate, send, and report the delivery funnel), and reply-bot (draft a grounded reply from a template's knowledge doc). Each declares the least-privilege scopes it needs, so you can mint a key that matches exactly one workflow. A per-call crypto payment rail (x402) for buying and sending without an account is fully designed and coming soon.
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