# RCS business messaging: how it works and how to get access

RCS business messaging explained: what it is, how a brand gets access through Google's RCS for Business, what a message can show, and where WhatsApp fits.

Source: https://getkanal.com/blog/rcs-business-messaging  
Last updated: 2026-10-12

## Key takeaways

- RCS business messaging lets a verified brand send rich cards, carousels and suggested replies to the phone's own messaging app.
- Brands get access through a messaging partner registered with Google's RCS for Business, then verify the brand and launch carrier by carrier.
- There is no single public price, since billing follows each carrier's rate card, per message or per 24-hour conversation.

RCS business messaging lets a verified brand send branded, interactive messages (rich cards, carousels, suggested replies) to the phone's own messaging app, where an SMS would only show text. In most cases, a brand does not plug into it directly: it goes through a messaging provider registered with Google's RCS for Business program, which creates the brand's sender, has it verified and launches it carrier by carrier.

For transparency: Kanal is a WhatsApp marketing and sales app for Shopify stores, and it also sends SMS and RCS campaigns from the same app. This page describes RCS from Google's, Apple's and the GSMA's own documentation, read on October 7, 2026, and then shows where it stands next to WhatsApp Business. If you only want to know what the "RCS" label on your own phone means, read our [RCS message guide](https://getkanal.com/blog/rcs-message-complete-guide).

## What is RCS business messaging?

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the industry standard that modernizes SMS. The GSMA publishes it as the Universal Profile, which includes support for RCS business messaging and rich cards ([GSMA](https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/networks/rcs/universal-profile/)). RCS business messaging is the part of the standard that lets a company, rather than a person, sit at the other end of the conversation.

Google provides the API that messaging providers connect to. Its documentation uses the name RCS for Business and still calls the interface the RCS Business Messaging (RBM) API ([Google for Developers](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging)). On the customer's side, Google describes what changes compared with a text message ([Google Messages Help](https://support.google.com/messages/answer/7513219?hl=en)):

- the conversation is branded with the company's name, its logo and a verification check mark;
- the header shows the business's name and description instead of a phone number;
- messages can contain photos, videos, cards and carousels, plus suggested reply and action buttons;
- the conversation is one-to-one: a business cannot be part of a group chat.

Every sender, called an agent, is created for one of four use cases defined by Google: one-time passwords, transactional, promotional or multi-use. An abandoned cart reminder, for example, falls under the promotional use case in [Google's list](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/learn/agent-use-cases). A conversation usually starts with a message from the agent. Google also documents links, buttons and QR codes that let a customer open the conversation first ([deep links](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/build/deeplinks)).

## How does a brand get access to RCS for Business?

Usually not by signing up on its own. Google's documentation says that businesses typically work with messaging partners (aggregators, CPaaS providers, carriers and other RCS solution providers) that connect to Google's API and build and maintain the agent on the business's behalf ([data security for RCS for Business](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/terms-and-policies/data-security)). The path looks like this:

![Google's RCS for Business documentation page explaining brand verification before an agent can launch](https://getkanal.com/images/screenshots/google-rcs-docs-brand-verification.webp)

1. **Pick a messaging partner.** To send messages, a company must first be registered as a partner with RCS for Business, which starts with an interest form that Google reviews ([register as a partner](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/get-started/register-partner)). Ask your SMS or messaging provider whether it is one.
2. **Have your agent created.** The partner creates the agent that represents your brand, with a name, a logo, a description, contact details, a billing category and a use case ([create an agent](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/build/agents)).
3. **Verify the brand.** An authorized representative of your company confirms the agent's information and the partner's right to manage it for you. Google asks for an individual employee's email address, not a distribution list ([brand verification](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/launch/brand-verification)).
4. **Get launch approval, carrier by carrier.** Google, carriers, or both approve the agent. Once approved, it can reach RCS-capable users on the approved carrier networks. Some carriers manage approval themselves and may require a direct agreement ([verify and launch your agent](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/launch)).
5. **Prepare what reviewers check.** Before launch, Google lists a working website, privacy policy and terms of service links, an opt-out (STOP) flow and a video preview of the agent ([launch approval](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/launch/launch-approval)).

## What can an RCS business message show?

![Google's RCS for Business documentation page on sending messages, with text, rich cards and suggestions](https://getkanal.com/images/screenshots/google-rcs-docs-send-messages.webp)

A single request can combine text, rich cards, media, suggested replies and suggested actions. The limits below come from Google's developer documentation.

| Element | What the customer sees | Limits in Google's documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Verified sender | Brand name, logo and a verification check mark at the top of the conversation | Shown once the agent is verified and launched |
| Text | A message, with a link preview when the app supports it | 3,072 characters |
| Rich card | Media (image, GIF or video), a title, a description and buttons in one message | Title: 200 characters. Description: 2,000 characters. 4 suggested replies or actions at most |
| Carousel | Several rich cards to swipe through | 2 to 10 cards |
| Suggested replies | Tappable answers | 25 characters each, 11 chips at most under a message |
| Suggested actions | Buttons that dial a number, open a location on a map, share a location, open a URL or create a calendar event | 25 characters each |
| Files | Images, videos, audio and PDF files | 100 MiB per file |

_Sources: Google for Developers, [rich cards](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/learn/rich-cards) (last updated on August 25, 2026), [send messages](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/build/messages/send) (last updated on October 5, 2026) and [brand verification](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/launch/brand-verification) (last updated on September 2, 2026), read on October 7, 2026._

Google adds a caveat: rich card support depends on device capabilities, so it advises testing the flow on the devices your audience uses. One example from the same documentation: suggestions that stay inside the message bubble are supported in recent versions of Google Messages, and not on iOS or in Samsung Messages. To see these formats applied to an online store (product card, carousel, action buttons), see our [RCS marketing for Shopify](https://getkanal.com/rcs) page.

## Who can receive it, and what happens when RCS is not available?

![Google Messages Help page describing RCS chats with businesses and what users can do in them](https://getkanal.com/images/screenshots/google-messages-help-rcs.webp)

An agent only reaches people whose phone, app and carrier are ready for it:

- **Carrier by carrier.** Once approved, an agent reaches RCS-capable users on the carrier networks where it has been launched. If you message someone on a network where the agent is not launched, Google's platform returns an error and nothing is delivered.
- **Device by device.** If the phone does not support RCS or has it turned off, the platform also returns an error, and Google recommends reaching the user through the fallback you have defined, such as SMS. If the phone is only offline, the message is held and delivery is retried for 30 days, unless you set an earlier expiration ([send messages](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/build/messages/send), read on October 7, 2026).
- **iPhone included, depending on the carrier.** Apple's support page mentions that some businesses can send alerts and updates about orders and other transactions through RCS, and gives iPhone users a switch to turn these business messages off ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/122195)). RCS on iPhone itself depends on the carrier: Apple keeps a [list by country](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109526).

Google's documentation therefore treats a fallback channel as part of the setup, for the customers RCS cannot reach. Our [business SMS guide](https://getkanal.com/blog/business-sms-ecommerce-guide) covers the text message side.

## Do you need the customer's consent?

Yes. Google's Acceptable Use Policy for RCS for Business requires senders to give people notice and obtain their consent before soliciting them, to make withdrawal simple (replying STOP, for example) and to honor it across all of the brand's promotional agents. The policy adds that local laws can set further requirements and that complying with them is the sender's responsibility ([Acceptable Use Policy](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/terms-and-policies/aup), last updated on October 3, 2025, read on October 7, 2026).

Customers also have their own controls. In Google Messages, an **Unsubscribe** option sends a STOP message to the business, in a list of countries that includes the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom ([Google Messages Help](https://support.google.com/messages/answer/7513219?hl=en)). Honoring that request is the sender's job: Google says its platform does not manage opt-out lists for you, so you keep your own ([best practices](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/guides/learn/best-practices)).

## Is RCS business messaging encrypted?

Not end to end. Google's data security page says RCS for Business does not offer end-to-end encryption, which is why no lock icon appears in these conversations. Messages are encrypted between the user's device and Google's servers, and between Google's servers and the messaging partner, and Google scans messages sent by businesses to detect spam and malicious content ([data security for RCS for Business](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/terms-and-policies/data-security)).

## How is RCS for Business billed?

There is no single public price list. According to Google's billing overview, RCS for Business traffic is billable under a standard model, or under a separate model for US phone numbers, and according to each carrier's rate card ([billing overview](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/carriers/billing)). So the price depends on the carrier, and you will get it from your messaging provider, not from Google's documentation.

What Google does define is what counts as a billable event. An agent is set up in one of two billing categories ([standard billing FAQ](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/rcs-business-messaging/carriers/billing/rbm-billing-faq), read on October 7, 2026):

| Billing category | Meant for | How events are counted |
|---|---|---|
| Non-conversational | Mostly one-way messages: one-time passwords, alerts, promotional offers | Per message delivered |
| Conversational | Back-and-forth exchanges | One conversation when the customer replies within 24 hours, covering the messages exchanged during the following 24 hours. Per message otherwise |

Google also separates a basic message (text only, 160 characters or fewer) from a single message (rich content, or text over 160 characters). Ask your provider for its rate for each of these events in each country you sell to. We found no primary source that publishes one price for all carriers, so this page quotes none.

## RCS vs WhatsApp Business for a Shopify brand

Both channels put a branded, interactive message in front of a customer who agreed to receive it. They differ in where the message lands, how you get access and who sets the price.

| | RCS for Business | WhatsApp Business Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Where the customer reads it | The phone's messaging app: Google Messages, or Messages on iPhone | The WhatsApp app |
| Who you can reach | RCS-capable users on the carriers where your agent is launched | People who use WhatsApp: more than 3 billion in over 180 countries, [according to WhatsApp](https://www.whatsapp.com/about) |
| How you get access | A messaging partner registered with Google, brand verification, then launch approval by Google, carriers, or both | Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, which apps such as Kanal connect to |
| Consent | Notice and consent before soliciting, with a simple way to withdraw | Opt-in permission from the recipient before you contact them |
| First message from the brand | Sent by the agent on a trigger you define | An approved message template |
| Replies | Typed replies or suggested replies, in a one-to-one conversation | Messages without a template inside a 24-hour customer service window that resets with each customer message |
| Rich formats | Rich cards, carousels of 2 to 10 cards, suggested replies and actions | Message templates, including carousel templates of 2 to 10 media cards with an image or a video and buttons |
| Billing | Carrier rate cards, per message or per 24-hour conversation | Meta's rate card, per delivered message, by message category and recipient country |

_Sources: Google for Developers (pages linked above), [WhatsApp](https://www.whatsapp.com/about), the [WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy](https://whatsappbusiness.com/policy/) (last updated on September 23, 2026) and Meta's documentation on [pricing](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing) and [media card carousel templates](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/media-card-carousel-templates), read on October 7, 2026._

How to read this table for a Shopify store:

- **Start from where your customers are.** RCS reach depends on the carrier and the phone, country by country. WhatsApp reach depends on how many of your customers use the app. Your own data (the countries you ship to, the phones your visitors use) says more than any average.
- **Look at what you already run.** RCS is sold by messaging partners such as aggregators, CPaaS providers and carriers. If you already send SMS through one of them, ask whether it is a registered RCS for Business partner and on which carriers it can launch your agent.
- **Compare the full cost.** Neither channel has a flat price: RCS follows carrier rate cards, WhatsApp follows Meta's rate card by category and country. Our [WhatsApp Business pricing guide](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-business-pricing-guide) explains the Meta side.
- **Check consent for each channel.** Both require the customer's agreement first, so plan how you will collect it for each one. Our [WhatsApp opt-in guide](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-opt-in-gdpr-ecommerce) shows how stores collect it for WhatsApp.

The two can run side by side: RCS with your messaging provider, WhatsApp with a WhatsApp app. For a broader, channel-by-channel view, see our [SMS vs MMS vs RCS vs WhatsApp comparison](https://getkanal.com/blog/sms-vs-mms-vs-rcs-vs-whatsapp).

## What Kanal does, and what it does not

Kanal is a WhatsApp marketing and sales app for Shopify stores. It sends WhatsApp messages, and SMS and RCS campaigns from the same app ([SMS campaigns](https://getkanal.com/sms-campaigns), [SMS automation](https://getkanal.com/sms-automation), [RCS marketing](https://getkanal.com/rcs)): no email.

![Kanal page for WhatsApp marketing campaigns sent to the opted in customers of a Shopify store](https://getkanal.com/images/screenshots/kanal-whatsapp-campaigns.webp)

On the WhatsApp side, Kanal covers [campaigns and broadcasts](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-campaigns), abandoned cart recovery, order notifications, post-purchase upsell, back-in-stock alerts, review collection, an AI chatbot, a team inbox, segments and automations. If your email and SMS live in Klaviyo, your Klaviyo segments sync to Kanal and WhatsApp messages can be triggered from Klaviyo flows, while email and SMS stay in Klaviyo.

To see how it fits your store, start with the [WhatsApp for Shopify overview](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-shopify).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is RCS business messaging?

RCS business messaging lets a verified company send branded, interactive messages to the phone's own messaging app. The conversation shows the brand's name, its logo and a verification check mark, and messages can include rich cards, carousels and suggested replies. Google calls its platform RCS for Business. Brands use it for one-time passwords, transactional updates and promotions.

### How do I get access to RCS for Business?

Through a messaging partner. Google's documentation says businesses typically work with aggregators, CPaaS providers, carriers or other RCS solution providers that connect to its API. The partner creates your sender, called an agent. An authorized person at your company then verifies the brand, and Google, carriers, or both approve the launch on each carrier network.

### How much does RCS business messaging cost?

There is no single public price. According to Google's billing documentation, read on October 7, 2026, RCS for Business events are billable according to each carrier's rate card: per message for non-conversational agents, and per 24-hour conversation for conversational agents when the customer replies. Ask your messaging provider for its rates in each country you sell to.

### Does RCS business messaging work on iPhone?

Apple's support page says some businesses can send alerts and updates about orders and other transactions through RCS, and lets users switch these business messages off in Settings. RCS on iPhone requires iOS 18 and a carrier that supports it, so reach varies by country and carrier. Google also warns that some features differ from one messaging app to another.

### Is RCS business messaging end-to-end encrypted?

No. Google states that RCS for Business does not offer end-to-end encryption, which is why these conversations show no lock icon. Messages are encrypted between the user's device and Google's servers, and between Google's servers and the messaging partner. Google also scans messages sent by businesses to detect spam and malicious content.

### Does Kanal send RCS messages?

Yes. Kanal is a WhatsApp marketing and sales app for Shopify stores, and it also sends SMS and RCS campaigns from the same app. Each channel runs with the consent of the customers you message.