Next in Text: The Exciting Future of RCS

The future of messaging lies squarely with RCS, and it will change how marketers communicate with customers, as well as how we all communicate with one another. RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the next generation of messaging that takes the familiar SMS experiences and supercharges them.

Since RCS is still very new to the market, there are a lot of questions about how it’s actually different from what we can do via messaging today on iPhones and Android devices.

Have you used Google Messages? Then, you’ve already experienced RCS. 

Imagine being able to send messages and files using your mobile data and Wi-Fi with new features such as:

• High-resolution photos and videos: Forget grainy photos and pixelated graphics. RCS features lets you showcase your products and brand with stunning visuals that capture attention.

• Interactive carousels and cards: Instead of simple text links, you can create interactive experiences within your chats, allowing customers to browse products, select options, and even supply suggested responses in the chat.

• Verified sender identification: A blue checkmark next to your brand name assures customers they're interacting with the real you, building trust, minimizing the risk of phishing attempts, and boosting deliverability.

• Typing indicators and read receipts: Know when the person on the other end is typing and when they’ve read your messages, adding clarity and immediacy to your conversations.

• Emoji reactions: Express yourself with emojis translated just as you intend them to be, making your text reactions clear and contextually appropriate.

Sound exciting? All you have to do is turn RCS chats on.

Here's why you should be excited about the impact of RCS on your life:

• Enhanced Customer Engagement: With rich media, interactive group chats, and personalized experiences, RCS messages stand out from plain text SMS, driving not just increased visibility but deeper customer interactions that can translate to increased loyalty and conversions.

• Improved Conversion Rates: RCS chats help remove friction from the customer journey by enabling direct interaction within messages. Customers can browse products, add items to their cart, and get an answer to their questions without ever leaving their messaging app.

• Broader Reach: With Apple devices joining the RCS ecosystem, it's poised to become a truly global RCS network, available across billions of devices worldwide. This promises unparalleled reach, enabling them to connect with customers across geographic boundaries.

There’s a lot of questions around the new RCS frontier. We’ve outlined some of the biggest questions merchants have been asking about and gotten the confusion cleared up.

No! RCS is an upgrade to SMS that works through consumers' native messaging apps. Users do not need to download a separate app to send and receive RCS messages.

With the recent release of iOS 18.1, RCS is supported across most Apple devices. This makes RCS a truly universal messaging channel, available on both Android and iOS devices.

RCS offers verified sender identification, meaning brands are vetted by carriers. This increases consumer trust and helps to prevent spam and phishing attempts.

There are two types of RCS messages: Basic and Rich. Basic RCS messages are text-only and have a 160-character limit, similar to SMS. Rich RCS messages support multimedia content, interactive elements, and longer text messages.

RCS supports a wide range of use cases, including customer service, transactional messages, and even interactive experiences like product catalogs and calendar scheduling. For example, you can send a calendar reminder to your customers letting them know when it’s time to restock!

With support from carriers, Google, and Apple, along with interoperability standards like GSMA's Universal Profile, RCS varies greatly but has immense potential to dominate the future of messaging for Android and iPhone users.

Since RCS is a relatively new channel and technically distinct from SMS and MMS, the compliance requirements for RCS remain in flux.  At this time, provided you have obtained prior express written consent to send SMS/MMS messages, you will be able to send an RCS message to that subscriber.

As a leader in SMS marketing, we are at the forefront of building for RCS networks. We recognize this technology’s immense potential and are committed to bringing its benefits to all of our customers as soon as possible. 

We’re currently conducting an RCS Beta for select customers and hope to expand so that more merchants can join soon. Keep an eye out for additional product releases later this quarter and in Q1 2025 to bring more RCS functionality to your messaging strategy, including features such as file sharing and video sharing.

RCS is not just an upgrade; it's a revolution in mobile messaging. It combines the best of SMS—reach, reliability, and immediacy—with the accessible richness and interactivity of modern messaging apps. As Postscript leads the charge to support RCS at the forefront of new-era marketing, you have an unprecedented opportunity to create more engaging, effective, and profitable customer experiences.

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