What is RCS, Rich Communication Services The text message, reinvented
RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the carrier standard behind the messaging app on Android phones and iPhones. A brand message arrives under the brand's verified name, with images, video, carousels and buttons
1B+
RCS messages sent every day in the United States
Google, May 2025
60 to 70%
Higher conversion than SMS, projected for a retailer with $1 billion in revenue
Forrester Total Economic Impact study commissioned by Google, February 2026
7.5 to 12.5%
Higher average order value, projected in the same study
Forrester, February 2026
1992 → 2026
Text messages evolved from pixelated words to a storefront
1992
Merry Christmas
On 3 December Neil Papworth sends the first text message, from a computer to Richard Jarvis's phone on Vodafone's UK network
2008
The GSMA adopts RCS
Operators and phone makers start Rich Communication Services in 2007, and the GSMA, the association of mobile operators, takes over the standard
2016
One Universal Profile
In November the GSMA publishes one version of RCS for every carrier, backed by 58 operators, phone makers and operating system providers
2019
RCS in Android Messages
Google, owner of the RCS platform Jibe since 2015, switches on RCS chat in Messages, starting in the United Kingdom and France. Out There Media sends its first RCS campaigns the same summer
2020
Worldwide on Android
In November Google completes the global rollout of RCS chat in Messages. The same year Out There Impact and the World Health Organization send Covid-19 prevention advice by message and RCS, pro bono, reaching more than 300 million people
2023
A billion monthly users
Google counts more than one billion monthly active users with RCS in Google Messages
2024
RCS on iPhone
In September Apple adds RCS to iOS 18, and the iPhone joins Android on one rich messaging standard, carrier by carrier
2025
A billion messages a day
Google reports more than one billion RCS messages sent every day in the United States
2026
Messaging Studio is live
A brand describes a campaign in one sentence and the studio builds it as a rich message for Android and iPhone
Inside a rich message
Choose a part to see what it does
- Verified sender
- The brand's name, logo and verification badge head the thread, after Google and each carrier approve the sender
- Rich card
- An image or video, a title and a line of text in one card
- Video
- Trailers, demos and stories play inside the conversation
- Buttons
- Up to four actions per card: open a page, call, add a date to the calendar or share a location
- Carousel
- Up to ten cards side by side, swiped like a shop window
- Suggested replies
- One-tap answers under the message, such as Remind me or Seat map
- Read receipts
- The brand sees each delivery, read, tap and reply
A founder on RCS
RCS has all the ingredients to be the leader and become the single biggest medium in the world
RCS questions, answered What brands ask about RCS
What is RCS?
RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the carrier standard behind the messaging app on Android phones and, where carriers support it, on iPhones with iOS 18 or later. A brand message arrives under the brand's verified name, with images, video, carousels and buttons
How is RCS different from SMS?
An SMS carries plain text from a number. A rich message arrives under the brand's verified name and logo, with images, video, carousels and buttons, and the brand sees when it was read
Does RCS work on iPhone?
Yes. Apple added RCS with iOS 18 in 2024, so a business message reaches an iPhone where the person's carrier supports it
Do my customers need an app?
No. Rich messages arrive in the messaging app already on their phone, next to their texts
What can a rich message include?
Images, video, carousels of cards, buttons and suggested replies, so people can watch, book, buy or reply without leaving the conversation
How do brands use RCS?
For launches, offers, bookings, reminders and service. Porsche booked test drives inside the message, McDonald's signed people up to its rewards in one thread, and Out There Impact carried the World Health Organization's Covid-19 guidance
How does a brand start sending RCS messages?
The brand registers as a verified sender with its name and logo, and carriers approve it. Campaigns then go to customers who agreed to hear from the brand. Messaging Studio takes you through each step