LeadConnector

RCS gives businesses a richer messaging experience than traditional SMS by supporting branded sender identities, media, interactive elements, and enhanced delivery signals on compatible devices.

RCS is available through Labs for selected sub-accounts. Businesses can register senders and track approval. Live messaging requires an approved RCS sender, and SMS fallback may be used when supported and configured.

RCS Messaging is available through Labs, not enabled by default for every account. Agencies can select sub-accounts for access. A registered sender must receive carrier and provider approval before live messaging.

Rich Communication Services (RCS) expands business messaging beyond traditional SMS by allowing compatible recipients to receive branded and interactive messages in their supported messaging app. Understanding how RCS differs from SMS helps you design messages that take advantage of rich features while remaining effective when SMS fallback is required.

RCS on the platform can support capabilities such as:

• Branded business identity
• Images and rich media
• Tappable actions such as Call , Open URL , and Suggested Reply
• Standalone rich cards
• Carousels
• Delivery signals
• Read or Opened signals when supported by the recipient's device and settings

Recipients must have a supported device, messaging app, carrier or network, and RCS configuration. When those requirements are not met, the platform can use SMS fallback when fallback is enabled.

Labs gives agencies control over which sub-accounts can access RCS while the feature is being introduced more broadly.

RCS Messaging is available through Labs . Agencies can introduce RCS to selected sub-accounts and let businesses register senders directly inside the platform. A Private Beta application is no longer required for the new Labs onboarding path.

• Agency-level control: Enable RCS for chosen sub-accounts instead of activating it for everyone.
• Self-service registration: Complete business details and submit sender information without leaving the account.
• Approval tracking: Monitor the sender registration process from the RCS Messaging area.

RCS combines familiar business messaging with richer branding and interaction options. These capabilities can make messages easier to recognize, act on, and measure while SMS fallback provides an alternative for contacts who cannot receive RCS.

RCS gives you a set of tools that plain SMS simply doesn't offer. Depending on your plan and configuration, you can send:

• Branded messages — your business name appears in the inbox instead of a phone number
• Images and rich media layouts
• Tappable action buttons — Call, Open URL, or Suggested Replies
• Standalone rich cards with titles, descriptions, images, and buttons
• Carousels — multiple swipeable cards in a single message
• Read receipts and delivery signals where the recipient's device supports them.

Before using RCS, it helps to understand exactly what it adds — and where its limits are. The biggest one: RCS reach is growing but not yet universal. That makes it important to design every message so the SMS fallback version is just as clear and useful as the rich version.

RCS delivery depends on four things aligning on the recipient's end: their device , their messaging app , their carrier , and their app settings . In practice:

• Most modern Android devices using Google Messages or a carrier-supported app are ready to receive RCS
• iPhone support depends on iOS version and carrier — many iPhone users still receive SMS fallback today
• Even within Android, some carrier configurations limit certain RCS features
• Recipients can disable RCS features in their app settings, which also triggers fallback

The platform handles detection and routing automatically. You send one message — the platform determines whether to deliver it as RCS or fall back to SMS based on what the recipient can actually receive.

RCS is a branded, high-visibility channel — which means the same compliance principles that govern SMS apply here, just with higher stakes. Getting this right protects your deliverability, your sender reputation, and your customers.

Preparing your business details in advance helps you complete sender registration accurately and reduces unnecessary approval delays.

Before you enable RCS, gather the business details needed for brand verification and make sure the sub-account has the required access. Registration now takes place in the RCS Messaging settings rather than through a standard Support-led request.

• Business information: Brand name, business website, address, and contact details.
• Brand assets: Business logo and other sender branding details as requested.
• Messaging use case and consent: Information about what the business sends and how recipients opt in.
• Target countries: Countries where the business intends to send RCS messages.
• Additional verification: US-specific information when applicable.

There are carrier fees involved for US registrations:

Enable RCS through Labs, complete self-service registration, and wait for sender approval before sending live customer messages.

After a message is sent, the platform shows delivery signals directly in the conversation view:

RCS billing is based on message type and direction. Here's the full breakdown for US messages:

How you're billed when RCS delivery fails depends on whether the SMS fallback succeeds:

A clear next action helps you move from Labs activation to an approved sender and your first RCS message.

You can begin by enabling RCS for a selected sub-account in Labs. Complete sender registration under Settings → Phone System → RCS Messaging , then track the review until the sender reaches Live .