Twilio Launches Global Availability of Rich Communication Services for Branded Messaging

Twilio has announced the general availability of Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging globally. RCS enables brands to send branded, verified messages with rich interactive features. The platform is available to all 349,000+ active customer accounts through Twilio's Programmable Messaging and Verify APIs. Existing customers can upgrade without code changes, while new customers can implement both SMS and RCS through a single integration. RCS drives customer trust and enhances engagement, resulting in a 32% increase in customer engagement and conversion rates compared to traditional SMS messaging.

Twilio, a leading customer engagement platform, has announced the general availability of its Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging globally. This new feature enables brands to send branded, verified messages with rich interactive features, marking a significant advancement in business messaging since SMS.

RCS is now accessible to all 349,000+ active customer accounts through Twilio's Programmable Messaging and Verify APIs. Existing customers can upgrade to RCS without requiring any code changes, while new customers can implement both SMS and RCS messaging through a single integration via the Twilio platform.

Inbal Shani, Chief Product Officer and Head of R&D at Twilio, stated, "Building engagement with your customers should be as seamless and trusted as possible. RCS makes this a reality by delivering richer interactions, improved deliverability, and increased trust in your brand. This represents a fundamental shift in how businesses can communicate with their customers through Twilio's trusted, simple, and smart platform."

Key capabilities of RCS with Twilio include branded messaging, rich content and interactive features, seamless integration, and SMS fallback. Branded messaging automatically upgrades SMS messages to RCS on capable devices at no additional cost, enhancing customer trust through business logos, taglines, and trusted sender verification by Google. Rich content and interactive features such as call-to-action buttons, interactive carousels, location sharing, and rich media content drive higher engagement and conversion rates.

RCS addresses the growing issue of messaging fraud and consumer skepticism. According to Twilio’s 2025 State of Customer Engagement Report, while 90% of consumers trust at least some brands, just 15% “absolutely” trust them with their data. RCS can help bridge this trust gap by ensuring customers know who they are communicating with through verified company branding and trusted verification badges. This is particularly valuable for transactional communications, marketing campaigns, and customer service interactions where brand trust and engagement are critical.

A recent study by Futurum Research found that businesses using RCS experience a 32% increase in customer engagement and conversion rates compared to traditional SMS messaging. This highlights the potential of RCS to enhance customer trust and drive measurable business results.

Twilio's RCS is now available globally across 20+ countries and 55+ carriers. Existing Twilio Messaging customers can upgrade to RCS without code changes, while new customers can implement both SMS and RCS messaging through a single API integration. Twilio manages carrier registrations, device capability checks, and provides automatic fallback to SMS when RCS is unavailable, ensuring reliable message delivery for businesses of all scales.

Adam Holtby, Principal Analyst at Omdia, noted, "The significance and potential of RCS goes beyond just uplift – the capability will help reshape business messaging into an interactive, trusted, and transaction-ready channel."

Twilio's RCS is already being used by businesses like Nova Gestões in Latin America and Fresha in Europe to enhance their customer communications. These companies have seen improved response rates and increased customer trust due to the use of RCS.

For businesses ready to transform their customer engagement with branded, interactive messaging, RCS is now available through the Twilio Console.

References:
[1] https://www.marketscreener.com/news/twilio-announces-general-availability-of-rich-communication-services-rcs-to-transform-business-mes-ce7c50d9da89f327