Twilio Announces General Availability of Rich Communication Services (RCS) for Enhanced Business Messaging

Twilio has announced the general availability of Rich Communication Services (RCS) globally, enabling brands to send branded, verified messages with interactive features. RCS is available to all 349k+ active customer accounts through Twilio's Programmable Messaging and Verify APIs. Existing customers can upgrade with no code changes, while new customers can implement both SMS and RCS through a single integration. RCS offers branded messaging, rich content, and interactive features, driving customer trust and higher engagement and conversion rates.

Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO) has announced the general availability of Rich Communication Services (RCS) globally, marking a significant advancement in business messaging. RCS, available to all 349,000+ active customer accounts through Twilio's Programmable Messaging and Verify APIs, enables brands to send branded, verified messages with rich interactive features.

RCS offers several key capabilities, including branded messaging, rich content, and interactive features. Branded messaging automatically upgrades SMS messages to RCS on capable devices at no additional cost for basic messages up to 160 characters, featuring business logos, taglines, and trusted sender verification by Google. Additionally, RCS supports rich content and interactive features like call-to-action buttons, interactive carousels, location sharing, and rich media content, driving higher engagement and conversion rates.

Existing Twilio Messaging customers can upgrade to RCS without code changes, adding an additional channel option alongside SMS, MMS, and WhatsApp. New customers can implement both SMS and RCS messaging through a single API integration. Twilio manages carrier registration, device capability checks, and provides automatic fallback to SMS when RCS is not available, ensuring reliable message delivery for any business at any scale.

RCS can help address the growing trust gap in messaging, as consumers increasingly seek verified and personalized communications. According to Twilio’s 2025 State of Customer Engagement Report, while 90% of consumers trust at least some brands, only 15% absolutely trust them with their data. Additionally, 88% of consumers are more likely to buy when engagement is personalized in real time, but only 44% of brands execute at that level. RCS can enhance trust and translate into measurable business results, with businesses using RCS experiencing a 32% increase in customer engagement and conversion rates compared to traditional SMS messaging [1].

Global enterprise adoption of RCS is expected to reshape business messaging into an interactive, trusted, and transaction-ready channel. With Apple's support for RCS on iPhones starting with iOS 18.2 in December 2024, Twilio's RCS messaging is now available globally across 20+ countries and 55+ carriers. This expanded reach positions RCS for widespread enterprise adoption, with companies like Nova Gestões in Latin America and Fresha in Europe already leveraging RCS to enhance their customer communications.

Businesses ready to transform their customer engagement with branded, interactive messaging can get started with RCS through the Twilio Console today.

References:
[1] https://www.stocktitan.net/news/TWLO/twilio-announces-general-availability-of-rich-communication-services-0lsmt64j0n12.html