Introducing RCS on Twilio Messaging (public beta): Automatically upgrade for verified branding and other features

Introducing RCS on Twilio Messaging (public beta)

We hear from Twilio customers year after year that Twilio Messaging helps them achieve great ROI. After all, it’s a high-priority medium that’s natively built into every mobile device and it offers open rates between 95% to 99%. Today, we’re thrilled to share that Messaging is about to get even better with the launch of RCS (Rich Communications Services) on Twilio Messaging, now in public beta.

RCS is a new-and-improved protocol for text messaging that Google has rolled out and Apple will begin rolling out on iOS as soon as this month. At Twilio, we’ve brought RCS to our Messaging and Verify APIs so that as support expands globally, every business can benefit automatically. That means you can seamlessly upgrade from SMS to RCS with no code changes or cost increases (for messages up to 160 characters).

What you get with RCS on Twilio Messaging

Branded messaging and verified badges

Branded messaging allows a business to attach its name, brand logo, and a tagline to every text it sends, which means customers instantly recognize who’s reaching out. Every brand goes through a verification process to earn a badge that confirms their identity, helping them build trust directly within consumers' native messaging apps. These simple improvements lead to higher deliverability, improved engagement, and increased conversions for many use cases. 

In our 2024 Twilio-sponsored consumer preferences survey of 3,900 global consumers, we found that 49% of consumers would trust brands “a lot more” if the business had a logo or check mark within a messaging or social channel. And 75% of consumers who received a branded text said it increased their trust in the communication.

With zero code changes required, your business can send RCS messages to enabled devices faster and with little-to-no development costs.

If RCS isn’t available on a customer’s device, your message will be sent as an SMS, ensuring the best experience for all customers. And getting started is simple. You can create your RCS Sender profile, preview your branding, and submit onboarding requests right in the Twilio Console.

Metrics to help you measure ROI 

Twilio’s RCS offering includes the capability to measure and optimize ROI, with more reliable delivery receipts and now read receipts, available natively in Messaging Insights. Whenever an end user opens a message, the message status changes to "Read," providing a similar experience to open rates for emails. These signals can help you better understand how customers are engaging with your messages, so you can better serve them over time. 

Expanding coverage and expert onboarding

Today, RCS is available in the United States, UK, Brazil, and other regions with support for major carriers coming soon. Twilio has built robust carrier partnerships and is continuously expanding our global reach to offer reliable communication worldwide that meets messaging compliance standards. When you upgrade to RCS with Twilio, we’ll automatically take care of delivering to more devices as they become RCS capable, so you can increase your global reach and deliverability. 

The same great engagement tools

Because RCS is built on the Twilio Messaging API, you can take advantage of the same advanced features, including Link Shortening with Click Tracking. Content Template Builder is also coming soon, with support for rich content like cards. 

Rich content and other functionality coming soon

Twilio is intentionally rolling out RCS in phases to ensure optimal experiences for businesses and all of their customers. Over the next two quarters, we’ll begin adding rich functionality like high-quality media, content cards, carousels, buttons, and location sharing. We’ll also add more support for developers, tools to optimize performance and orchestration, and functionality to simplify onboarding and compliance globally. 

Seamless user verification

RCS is also available for user authentication and OTP (one-time passwords) using the Twilio Verify API. Since May, we’ve had roughly 4,000 Twilio customers send millions of RCS messages for user verification. 

Set up your branded sender profile in Twilio's Console

Once you get access to RCS, you can immediately create your branded sender profile and design the look and feel that your customers will see when you text them. This includes adding your logo, banner, description and all the details the end users can see. This is available in all RCS regions supported by Twilio except Brazil, but support for Brazil is coming soon. 

Send your first test message from Console or the API 

As soon as you create your RCS branded profile in the Twilio Console, you can start testing it immediately from the Twilio Console. All you need is an RCS-capable device and you can send RCS messages right away, even before submitting your sender for approval. This allows you to get a sense of the look and feel on your device. You can also start building against the API while your RCS sender is approved.

Simplified RCS onboarding across regions

Getting your RCS Sender approved can be a time-consuming and arduous process, but Twilio removes the complexity. Simply submit required compliance details for your RCS onboarding request across regions in the Twilio Console and we’ll tap into our global carrier partnerships to enable RCS where you operate. Once your RCS Sender is approved, you can add the RCS Sender to your Messaging Service Sender and Twilio will automatically start using it when RCS capabilities are detected. 

You can then start enjoying the advantage of branded, verified messaging with read receipts at a throughput of 100 messages per second. This means you don't have to learn a new API or change your code to support a new payload. Twilio is the easiest way to get started with RCS and we’ll continue to make it easier to upgrade to RCS. 

How Twilio is streamlining the messaging ecosystem with RCS

In summary, Twilio is helping customers in the following ways:

• Auto-upgrade to branded messaging powered by RCS: Twilio automatically upgrades SMS messages to RCS on enabled devices. You don’t need to worry about if your recipients have RCS-capable devices. 
• Start testing your branded profile right away: Create your branded profile in the Console. Send messages to test devices before your RCS sender is even approved.
• No code changes required: Activate your RCS sender in Console when you are ready to launch. No additional API to integrate with, configuration or code changes required for most Messaging Services customers.
• Optimize with detailed engagement data: Increase conversions with more visibility into your RCS read receipts, available natively where you capture your Twilio data including Messaging Insights, webhook, CSV download and Event Streams. 
• No upcharge from SMS: For messages up to 160 UTF-8 characters, RCS messages are priced the same as SMS (list price).

This is just the beginning. We’ll continue adding rich content features to make messaging even more engaging, while also expanding RCS to more regions and integrating it into other Twilio products like Marketing Campaigns, Content Template Builder, and Conversations API. We’re excited about the potential RCS will unlock for our customers—both now and in the future.

Get started with RCS today

Ready to get started with RCS and boost your messaging reach? Fill out the form to request access for RCS with Twilio’s Programmable Messaging API.