RCS offers far more than just text. From simple messages to interactive carousels with product catalogues - discover the full range of RCS messaging possibilities.
The simplest form of an RCS message. Like a classic SMS, but with the advantage of a verified sender and read receipts.
Ideal for: Short notifications, OTP codes, reminders
The enhanced text message with more characters and the ability to display suggestion chips (reply suggestions) below the message.
Ideal for: Customer communication, surveys, support enquiries
The visual powerhouse message. Combine an image or video with a title (max. 200 characters), description (max. 2,000 characters) and up to 4 action buttons in an elegant card.
Button types: URL, Dial, Add-to-Calendar, Show-Location, Share-Location, Webhook
Ideal for: Product announcements, offers, event invitations
Present multiple products or options in a horizontally scrollable carousel. Each card can have its own images, title (max. 200 characters), description (max. 2,000 characters) and buttons.
Button types: URL, Dial, Add-to-Calendar, Show-Location, Share-Location, Webhook
Ideal for: E-commerce, product catalogues, menus, travel offers
Send files directly via RCS - from images and videos to PDFs and documents. Everything directly in the messaging app, without external downloads.
Ideal for: Invoices, tickets, guides, product videos
Find the right message type for your use case
| Type | Text | Media | Card Buttons | Suggestion Chips | Layout | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Text | Max. 160 characters | - | - | - | - | OTP, short messages |
| Rich Text | Max. 3,072 characters | - | - | Max. 11 total Reply & Action mix |
- | Support, surveys |
| Rich Card | Title: 200 Description: 2,000 |
1 image/video JPG, PNG, GIF, MP4, WebM |
Max. 4 per card | Max. 11 total Reply & Action mix |
Vertical / Horizontal Image: Left / Right |
Offers, events |
| Rich Carousel | Title: 200 Description: 2,000 per card |
2-10 cards Image/video per card |
Max. 4 per card | Max. 11 total Reply & Action mix |
Vertical only | Product catalogues |
| Files & Media | Caption: 3,072 URL max. 2,000 characters |
Max. 100 MB JPG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MPEG, WebM, H.263 |
- | - | - | Documents, videos |
Max. 25 characters per button and suggestion chip
Max. 250 KB JSON payload per message
URL, URL-in-Webview, Dial, Calendar, Show location, Share location, Webhook/Postback
SendRCS supports five RCS message types: Basic Text (plain text up to 160 characters), Rich Text (up to 3,072 characters with suggestion chips and buttons), Rich Card (image or video with title, description and buttons), Rich Carousel (2-10 scrollable cards) and Files & Media (images, videos, PDFs, documents and audio). SMS fallback is available for every type.
A Basic Text message holds up to 160 characters, like a single SMS. Rich Text messages hold up to 3,072 characters. In Rich Cards and Carousels, each card has a title of up to 200 characters and a description of up to 2,000 characters. Buttons and suggestion chips are limited to 25 characters each.
Each Rich Card or carousel card can have up to 4 action buttons, and every message can show up to 11 suggestion chips below it. Seven button types are available: URL, URL-in-webview, dial, add-to-calendar, show-location, share-location and webhook/postback.
A Rich Card is a single card with one image or video, a title, a description and up to 4 buttons - ideal for one product, offer or event. A Rich Carousel combines 2 to 10 such cards in a horizontally scrollable row, so recipients can browse several products or options in one message.
Images (JPEG, PNG, GIF), videos (MP4, MPEG, WebM, H.263), audio files and PDFs or documents, each up to 100 MB. Files open directly in the recipient's messaging app without external downloads - ideal for invoices, tickets, guides and product videos.
They are Google's billing categories for RCS Business Messaging (RBM). A Basic Message is text only, up to 160 characters, without suggestion chips or rich elements. A Single Message is any richer message: text over 160 characters, messages with suggestion chips, Rich Cards, Carousels and media. SendRCS shows the category next to each message type so you know how it is billed.
Get started today and discover which RCS message type best suits your business.