RCS: The new reign of business messaging

Date:
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:26:00 +0000

Description:
For 2026 strategy, brands and technical teams cant ignore RCS versus SMS.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Over three decades ago, a 22-year old
engineer working for a global telecoms company sent the first text message in history, wishing his colleague a "Merry Christmas.

From that moment on, SMS has been the leading messaging protocol globally. As mobile phones proliferated, SMS, with their broad reach and reliability, has endured. Dave Boddington Social Links Navigation

Group Product Manager, RCS for Business at Infobip. But theres been a shift. Accelerated by Apple s adoption in 2024, Rich Communications Services, or
RCS, is a new standard which elevates mobile messaging. Article continues below You may like 5 essential features of a business messaging app Google Messages is getting more handy tools keep an eye out for these 3 new
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Whilst SMS is limited to text-only communications, RCS is specifically designed to provide rich, interactive messaging experiences that have become popularized on channels like iMessage, WhatsApp , Viber and other over the
top channels.

With RCS, you can add an emoji to your note, like, dislike, or laugh at a received message, and most importantly, make sure your GIF animates.

As RCS reaches critical mass in our digital-native world, brands and digital marketing teams have already taken note, and use cases for the channel are reaching maturity.

Across retail, hospitality, travel, finance and other major industries, strategies are being implemented to leverage the interactive features of RCS for campaigns that increase customer loyalty, ensure brand trust and ultimately boost engagement metrics to break benchmarks. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get
all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. The inflection point: Why RCS adoption is accelerating now RCS is projected to grow to ~3.8B users by the end of 2026, so it's critical to know its features and understand how it differs from SMS. Going far beyond high-resolution media to attract consumer attention, key RCS differentiators include: Read receipts and typing indicators that help
support active engagement. End-to-end encryption of messaging between users, that addresses consumers heightening concerns around fraudulent mobile activity. Carrier vetting and approval of brands that use the channel to engage with their customers, boosts consumer confidence that they are
speaking with a verified business. Longer character limits and support for images, videos and PDFs, that allow brands to send rich messages to their customers instead of sending multiple, fragmented notes and links. In-app features like appointment booking and purchasing that make it easier for consumers to complete their journey in one place. As RCS becomes more commonplace, brands are leveraging the protocol to deploy omnichannel communication campaigns that elevate customer engagement and provide measurable feedback . How to deploy RCS Where SMS is limited to plain text
and clunky links, RCS provides an app-like experience without the need for
any download, making campaigns more engaging, measurable, and personalized. What to read next The Telco AI factory: co-shaping the future with
intelligent communications platforms Why empowering your business with mobility and intelligent working could be the key to success 7 great WhatsApp alternatives for Android users

With RCS, retailers are reminding shoppers what they left in their cart and letting them complete the purchase right from their phones default messaging app , while airlines are sending travelers flight updates, interactive
airport maps and event their boarding passes, to ensure travelers have a smooth experience.

To deploy an RCS campaign, you must ensure you meet all compliance and approval requirements for carrier approval.

Then, youll want to identify an ideal, impactful scenario that could benefit from rich media and two-way communication, like order confirmations, cart abandonment reminders, appointment scheduling, or personalized promotions.

Medical offices, for example, can leverage RCS messages that integrate directly with Google Calendars, ensuring doctors and patients avoid the
wasted time and cost associated with missing appointments.

RCS requires a verified sender status, authenticating the brand to avoid messages being marked as spam. Display logos, company info, and contact details can also be included to boost brand recognition and ensure customer confidence.

Most impactfully, campaign performance can be analyzed in real time to track delivery status, read receipts, clicks, swipes, and more. From there, audiences can be segmented based on engagement to trigger personalized follow-ups or retargeted campaigns. Conclusion SMS has long been the default channel for mobile marketing, but RCS, with its app-like experiences, is becoming a crucial channel of the omnichannel mix.

Research by Omdia predicts RCS traffic will quadruple from 1.5 trillion messages in 2024 to more than 6 trillion messages in 2029. As a result, A2P (Application-to-person) RCS will generate revenues of $4.2 billion by the
last year of the decade.

SMS, due to its reliability and broad accessibility, will remain an important channel in the overall communication strategy, but as RCS proliferates,
expect it to eat more and more of the overall share.

Today's digitally native audiences want brands to communicate with them in a way thats personal and natural, similar to how theyd text a friend or family member.

For brands, the ability of RCS to deliver richer, more interactive communication, is translating into deeper customer trust, long-term loyalty, and giving them a reputation as a brand people love doing business with.
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