RCS business messaging from a verified brand sender
Replace plain-text SMS with branded, interactive messages in the phone's default messaging app: your logo and verified name, images, swipeable product cards and tap-to-reply buttons, with SMS as the safety net.
RCS conversation from a verified brand sender with a rich card and suggested replies. Brand and content are sample data.
Short answer
Updated
OmniChannels.ai sends RCS business messages through BroadNet, a Google RBM partner. Customers see your verified brand name and logo, rich cards, carousels of up to 10 cards and up to 11 suggested replies or actions, inside their default messaging app. Where a handset, operator or country does not support RCS, the message falls back to SMS automatically, so every recipient still gets it.
What RCS gives your messages
Verified branded sender
Messages arrive under your business name, logo and brand colour, with a verification mark granted through Google's RBM programme instead of a bare number or short code.
Rich cards with images and buttons
Combine an image, a title, a short description and action buttons in one message, so an offer or order update is complete without an external link.
Carousels of up to 10 cards
Let customers swipe through products, property units, flights or appointment slots, each card with its own image and buttons.
Up to 11 suggested replies and actions
Add tap-to-reply chips and actions such as call, open a link or view a location. Customers tap instead of typing, and the reply comes back to your system.
Read receipts and typing indicators
Where the handset and operator support them, you see when a message was delivered and read, and when a customer is typing, not only that it left the gateway.
Automatic SMS fallback
If a recipient's phone cannot receive RCS, the same send goes out as SMS. You keep one campaign and one report instead of building two.
Branded one-time passwords
Deliver login and payment codes from your verified brand, which helps customers tell a genuine code from a phishing attempt.
Delivery statuses in one webhook format
RCS statuses arrive in the same normalised format as SMS and WhatsApp, so your systems and reports treat every channel the same way.
RCS capabilities and where they apply
Rendering depends on the recipient's phone, messaging app and operator. Unsupported features are not shown, and unsupported phones receive SMS.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Verified sender (name, logo, colour) | Set up once per brand agent after Google and operator review. |
| Rich cards | Image or media, title, description and action buttons in one message. |
| Carousels | Up to 10 cards that the customer swipes through horizontally. |
| Suggested replies and actions | Up to 11 chips per message, including reply, call, open link and location actions. |
| Read receipts and typing indicators | Reported where the handset and operator support them; customers can switch read receipts off. |
| SMS fallback | Automatic for recipients whose phone, operator or country does not support RCS. |
How to launch RCS for your brand
Your sender must be approved by Google and, in most markets, by each operator. Timing varies by country and operator, so we plan the launch with you in discovery.
- 1
Choose markets and use cases
List the countries you want to reach and what you will send, such as OTPs, order updates, appointment booking or promotions. This shapes the agent registration.
- 2
Prepare your brand kit
Gather your display name, logo, brand colour, short description, website, contact details and privacy policy link.
- 3
Brand verification and agent approval
We submit your RBM agent for Google's brand verification, then for launch approval with the operators in each target market.
- 4
Design messages and fallbacks
Build your rich cards, carousels and suggested replies, and write the SMS text each message falls back to.
- 5
Test on real handsets, then launch
Send to internal Android and iPhone numbers, check what each one receives in the delivery report, then launch to opted-in customers.
When RCS is the right choice
A good fit when
- You already send SMS and want a branded, interactive version without asking customers to install an app.
- Your offers or updates need images, product choices or buttons to act on.
- You want customers to recognise genuine OTPs and alerts from a verified sender.
- Many of your customers use Android phones with an RCS-capable messaging app.
Good to know before you start
- Reach depends on the handset, its messaging app, the operator and the country. Recipients without RCS get the SMS fallback, without rich content.
- Your agent needs Google brand verification and operator approval before launch. Review times vary by market and are outside our control.
- Promotional RCS still needs opt-in and must respect each market's rules on content and sending hours.
- Read receipts depend on the customer's settings, so a missing read status does not always mean the message was unread.
Channel fallback, step by step
Send once through the platform or the API. If a step isn't delivered in time, the next channel takes over automatically, and every status comes back in one webhook format.
- 01
WhatsApp
Rich template with buttons, read receipts and replies in the inbox
- 02
RCS
Branded rich card where the handset and operator support RCS
- 03
SMS
Reaches every mobile phone over direct operator routes
- 04
Voice
A spoken code or message when text isn't getting through
RCS business messaging questions
What is RCS business messaging?
RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the successor to SMS in the phone's default messaging app. Through Google's RCS Business Messaging programme, a brand can send messages from a verified sender with its logo, images, carousels and tap-to-reply buttons. BroadNet, the company behind OmniChannels.ai, is a Google RBM partner.
Do iPhone users receive RCS business messages?
Support on iPhone depends on the iOS version, the operator and the country, and it is still being rolled out. You do not need to know in advance: when a recipient cannot receive RCS, the message goes out as SMS automatically, and the delivery report shows which channel was used.
How long does it take to get a verified RCS sender?
It depends on Google's brand verification and on operator approval in each market, and both vary. Having your brand kit, use cases and opt-in process ready speeds things up. We give you a realistic plan for your markets during discovery rather than a fixed date.
How does SMS fallback work?
Before delivery, the platform checks whether the recipient can receive RCS. If not, it sends the SMS version you defined for that message, from your SMS sender ID. Write the fallback text with care, because rich cards and buttons do not exist in SMS.
Can I send OTPs over RCS?
Yes. Sending one-time passwords from a verified brand sender helps customers recognise genuine codes. For phones without RCS, the fallback delivers the same code by SMS, and voice OTP can be added as a further step.
Can RCS replace WhatsApp in my channel mix?
They work best together. Many teams configure a fallback order per use case, for example WhatsApp first, then RCS, then SMS, so each customer gets the richest channel their phone supports. The order is set per use case, not once for every message.
Can I send RCS from my own systems?
Yes. RCS sending is part of the BroadNet REST API, with the same bearer-token authentication as SMS and WhatsApp, and delivery statuses arrive by webhook. Test access goes to your own verified numbers while your agent is being approved.
How much does RCS business messaging cost?
RCS pricing is on request: contact sales for RCS pricing. RCS is usually billed per message or per session, depending on the operator, the message type and the destination, so your quote confirms the rates for your markets and use case, excluding taxes. Messages that fall back to SMS are billed at the SMS rate for the destination.
Guides on this topic
- SMS & OTPRCS Business Messaging Explained: Verified Senders and Rich Cards8 min read
- SMS & OTPWhatsApp vs SMS vs RCS: Which Channel for OTP and Marketing?8 min read
- SMS & OTPOTP Messages on WhatsApp and SMS: Security, Delivery and Fraud9 min read
Explore more of the platform
Plan your RCS launch with us
Tell us your markets, use cases and current SMS volumes. We'll walk you through brand verification, message design and SMS fallback for your case.