RCS business messaging with verified, branded conversations
RCS business messaging brings your logo, brand name and color into the customer's native messaging app on supported devices — with rich cards, carousels and one-tap actions. RCS Business Messaging is coming soon to CommLeap, with guided verification and launch, and automatic SMS fallback where RCS is not available.
RCS Business Messaging is coming soon to CommLeap
We are preparing RCS Business Messaging, including guided agent verification and automatic SMS fallback. It is not yet available on CommLeap. Join early access to be among the first brands to launch, and in the meantime reach customers with our SMS API and WhatsApp Business API.
What is RCS business messaging?
Rich Communication Services (RCS) is the GSMA standard that modernizes SMS. Instead of a plain text from an unfamiliar number, customers see a verified business with its name, logo and brand color, and can interact through images, cards and buttons — all inside the messaging app that came with their phone.
RCS Business Messaging (RBM) is the business layer of that standard. Each brand is represented by an agent: a verified sender profile with a description, contact details and links to your privacy policy and terms. Messages are delivered over mobile data or Wi-Fi, so they can carry media and interactive elements that SMS cannot.
- Native in Google Messages on supported Android devices
- No app download or account for the customer
- Branded, verified identity that helps customers recognize genuine messages
Rich, interactive RCS messaging features Coming soon
Core RCS business messaging features, coming soon to the same CommLeap API, console and campaign tools you use for every other channel.
Verified branded sender
Your name, logo and brand color in the conversation header, with a verified indicator once your agent is approved.
Rich cards
Combine an image or video, a title, a description and up to four suggestions in one tappable card.
Carousels
Let customers swipe through products, offers, rooms or appointment slots without leaving the conversation.
Suggested replies
Offer one-tap responses such as "Track my order" or "Talk to an agent", returned to you as structured events.
Suggested actions
Buttons that dial a number, open a URL, add an event to the calendar or show a location on a map.
Media & files
Send high-resolution images, video and documents such as tickets or statements, often larger than MMS allows.
Read receipts & typing
See when a message has been read, where the recipient's settings allow, and show typing indicators while an agent or bot is composing a reply.
Engagement analytics
Delivery, read, suggestion taps and fallback rates by campaign, agent and market, planned in one report.
Automatic SMS fallback Coming soon
Unsupported devices and undelivered messages will fall back to SMS with the text you define.
From brand verification to a live RCS agent Coming soon
Before an RCS agent can message customers, it is verified and approved for launch — by Google, the carrier or both, depending on the network. The process helps protect customers from impersonation, and when RCS launches on CommLeap we will guide you through it.
Build your agent
We will configure your agent's name, logo, banner, brand color, description, contact options and policy links to match reviewer requirements.
Verify your brand
An authorized contact at your company confirms that the agent represents your brand. We will prepare the details and follow up on queries.
Request launch
We will submit your use case, sample messages and opt-in approach for review, and track approval status by market and carrier.
Go live and expand
Start messaging where your agent is approved, with SMS fallback (coming soon) covering everywhere else, then add markets as approvals complete.
RCS where it is supported, SMS everywhere else Coming soon
RCS reach depends on three things: the customer's device, their carrier and their country. RCS business messaging is native in Google Messages on supported Android devices. Apple added RCS support to iPhone with iOS 18 and manages its own implementation; whether iPhone users receive RCS business messages depends on iOS version, carrier and market support, which is still expanding.
You will not need to track any of that in your code. When RCS Business Messaging and automatic fallback launch on CommLeap (both coming soon), CommLeap will check capability before sending where it can, and a single request will be able to define the SMS text to use if RCS is not available or the message is not delivered within your time limit. Fallback is being designed so the customer receives one version of the message, not both.
- Capability checks before sending, where supported
- Fallback on unsupported devices, failures or timeouts
- One message ID and one event stream across both channels
Send a rich card with suggestions and SMS fallback Coming soon
Rich cards, carousels, suggested replies and actions will all be expressed in the content object of CommLeap's unified messages endpoint. Add a fallback and a timeout, and the same request will cover customers without RCS.
- Events for sent, delivered, read and failed, plus the channel used
- Suggestion taps and free-text replies as message.inbound events
- The same API key, webhooks and logs as WhatsApp and SMS
SMS vs. RCS vs. WhatsApp
Each channel has strengths. The right mix depends on your markets, your customers' devices and the experience you want to deliver — with CommLeap you can use SMS and WhatsApp from one API today, with RCS coming soon.
| Capability | SMS | RCS Business Messaging Coming soon | WhatsApp Business API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where messages appear | Native messaging app on virtually every phone | Native messaging app on supported devices and networks | The WhatsApp app, which the customer must have installed |
| Sender identity | Phone number, short code or alphanumeric ID | Verified brand name, logo and color | Business profile with display name, with verification options |
| Rich content | Text and links | Rich cards, carousels, media, suggested replies and actions | Media, buttons, lists, Flows and catalogs |
| Read receipts | No | Yes, subject to recipient settings | Yes, subject to recipient settings |
| Reach | Broadest | Depends on device, carrier and country | Strong in markets where WhatsApp is widely used |
| Before you send | Sender registration rules vary by country | Brand verification and launch approval | Meta business account setup, verification to scale, and approved templates |
| Pricing model | Per segment, by destination | Varies by market, carrier and message type | Per delivered template message, by category and country |
| Best for | Universal alerts, passcodes and fallback | Branded, interactive messaging without an app | Two-way conversations and commerce |
Channel rules and availability change over time and vary by market. Read our WhatsApp Business API guide for more on WhatsApp.
Where branded RCS messaging makes a difference
RCS works best where a customer needs to recognize the sender, see something and act on it in one tap.
Retail promotions
Product carousels with "Shop now" and "Reserve in store" actions, sent to opted-in customers through Campaigns & Journeys once RCS launches.
Travel updates
Booking confirmations, check-in reminders and gate changes with map, calendar and call actions. Travel
Delivery scheduling
Choose a delivery slot from suggested replies and track the parcel with one tap. Logistics
Banking notifications
Account and payment alerts from a verified sender customers can recognize at a glance. Banking
Appointments
Reminders with confirm, reschedule and add-to-calendar actions in a single card. Healthcare
Customer care
Start with a bot and hand over to agents in the Omnichannel Inbox, with full conversation history.
RCS business messaging questions, answered
What is RCS business messaging?
RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the GSMA standard that upgrades SMS with features such as media, typing indicators and read receipts. RCS business messaging, often called RBM, lets verified brands use those features to send branded, interactive messages — rich cards, carousels, suggested replies and actions — directly to the customer's native messaging app.
Do customers need to install an app to receive RCS messages?
No. RCS messages arrive in the phone's built-in messaging app on supported devices and networks, such as Google Messages on Android. There is nothing extra for the customer to download.
Can iPhone users receive RCS business messages?
Apple added RCS support to iPhone with iOS 18 and has since begun supporting RCS business messages on iPhone in some markets. Apple manages its own RCS implementation, so whether an individual iPhone user can receive RCS business messages depends on their iOS version, carrier and market, and support is still expanding. RCS Business Messaging and automatic SMS fallback are both coming soon to CommLeap; once available, a message to a recipient who cannot receive RCS will be able to fall back to SMS if you include an SMS fallback.
What happens if a recipient's device does not support RCS?
Without fallback, the message cannot be delivered as RCS. RCS Business Messaging and automatic SMS fallback are coming soon to CommLeap: once they launch, CommLeap will check RCS capability before sending where possible, and if the device or network does not support RCS, or the message is not delivered within the time you set, it will fall back to SMS using the fallback text you provide. Your webhooks will report which channel delivered each message.
How does brand verification and launch approval work?
Each RCS agent — your branded sender — goes through brand verification, in which an authorized representative of the brand confirms the agent details and your right to manage it, and launch approval by Google, the carrier or both, depending on the network. Reviewers look at your use case, sample messages and how customers opt in. When RCS Business Messaging launches on CommLeap (coming soon), we will prepare the submission with you and track approvals by market.
How long does it take to launch an RCS agent?
Timelines vary by market and carrier. Where Google manages the launch, Google indicates approval typically takes a few business days once your brand contact responds; carrier-managed approvals can take longer and do not all complete at the same time. You can test your agent on registered test devices while approvals are in progress.
Is RCS better than SMS or WhatsApp?
Each channel has a role. RCS offers rich, verified messaging in the native inbox without an app, SMS reaches virtually every phone, and WhatsApp is a strong choice in markets where customers already use it daily. Many businesses combine all three. CommLeap offers SMS and WhatsApp today; RCS Business Messaging and automatic cross-channel fallback are coming soon and will let you use all three together.
How is RCS business messaging priced?
RCS pricing is set by market and carrier and can depend on the message type — for example, a short text message versus a rich message or a conversation. RCS Business Messaging is coming soon to CommLeap; once it and automatic fallback are available, fallback SMS will be billed at SMS rates. Join early access to hear about rates in your markets.
Build a complete messaging mix
SMS API
International A2P SMS with intelligent routing, delivery receipts and sender management.
Learn moreWhatsApp Business API
Two-way WhatsApp messaging at enterprise scale — templates, Flows, catalogs and automation.
Learn moreCampaigns & Journeys
Segmented broadcasts and automated journeys across WhatsApp, SMS and email.
Learn moreGet early access to RCS Business Messaging
RCS Business Messaging is coming soon to CommLeap. Tell us about your brand, markets and use cases, and we'll invite you to early access and plan agent setup, brand verification and launch approvals with you.
- Solution design with a named specialist
- WhatsApp onboarding and verification support
- Transparent, volume-based pricing