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TextNation
RCS Business Messaging

RCS Messaging in India

Branded, rich messages in your customer’s default inbox — images, carousels and buttons from a verified sender — with automatic SMS fallback, so every customer still gets the message.

Features

What you can send — and see

Everything you need to run RCS alongside SMS and WhatsApp on one platform.

Verified brand sender

Your brand name, logo and a verified badge in the inbox — instead of a six-character SMS header.

Rich cards

An image or video with a title, description and buttons, in one message.

Carousels

Several cards side by side for products, plans or offers, each with its own buttons.

Buttons and quick replies

Open a link, start a call, share a location, or let customers reply with one tap.

Automatic SMS fallback

If RCS can’t reach a number, your DLT-approved SMS goes out instead — no one is left out.

Every message, tracked

See each number in All Sent — RCS delivered, read, or sent as SMS — and export to Excel or CSV.

Usage reports

RCS next to SMS and WhatsApp in one usage report, including how much went out as SMS fallback.

RCS in Journeys

Use RCS steps in Journey Builder and branch on replies and button taps.

API and WebEngage

Send from the panel, our HTTP API, or WebEngage — with delivery reports back by webhook.

RCS first, SMS when needed

Not every phone can receive RCS. With fallback on, one campaign reaches everyone.

1

You send one campaign

An RCS template plus a DLT-approved SMS for fallback.

2

RCS where it works

Customers on RCS-capable phones get the rich, branded message.

3

SMS everywhere else

If RCS can’t be delivered to a number, the SMS goes out automatically — and reports show who got which.

Is RCS available in India?

Yes — and reach is growing. Here’s where RCS business messages arrive today. Read the full guide.

Android

RCS arrives in Google Messages, the default messaging app on most Android phones in India.

iPhone

iPhones support RCS from iOS 18, depending on the operator. Jio was reported to start RCS business messaging to iPhones in September 2026.

Read the Jio iPhone update

Operators

In March 2026 Airtel and Google began filtering RCS business messages for spam on Airtel’s network — a step towards a cleaner, more trusted channel.

Everyone else

Older phones, RCS switched off, or no data? With SMS fallback on, those numbers get your SMS — so every customer is reached.

RCS vs SMS vs WhatsApp

Each channel has a job. Most brands use RCS with SMS fallback for alerts and offers, and WhatsApp for conversations.

Arrives in
SMS
Default messaging app
RCS
Default messaging app
WhatsApp
WhatsApp
Sender shown as
SMS
6-character header
RCS
Brand name, logo, verified badge
WhatsApp
Business name and profile
Images, cards, carousels
SMS
RCS
WhatsApp
Buttons and quick replies
SMS
RCS
WhatsApp
Read receipts
SMS
RCS
WhatsApp
Reaches
SMS
Every mobile phone
RCS
RCS-capable phones (SMS fallback for the rest)
WhatsApp
People who use WhatsApp
Before you send
SMS
DLT header and template
RCS
Verified agent and templates
WhatsApp
Opt-in and approved templates

Going deeper? Read RCS business messaging in India and SMS vs WhatsApp, or see 10 questions to ask an RCS provider.

Use Cases

Where RCS earns its place

Use RCS where pictures and buttons change what customers do.

E-commerce

Product carousels with “Buy now”, order-shipped updates with a “Track order” button, cart reminders with the product image.

Banking & finance

Payment and statement alerts from a verified sender, card offers with an “Apply” button, EMI reminders with “Pay now”.

Travel

Booking confirmations as rich cards, web check-in and boarding reminders with buttons, offers on the next trip.

Logistics & delivery

Out-for-delivery updates with “Reschedule” and “Call agent”, delivery confirmations from a brand customers trust.

Healthcare

Appointment reminders with “Get directions” and “Reschedule”, report-ready alerts with a link to download.

Retail

New collections as carousels, loyalty offers with a code and a store locator button.

How RCS is charged

RCS business messages are usually charged per message, and the type of message matters. Google’s billing model, which operators and providers build on, works like this:

Google’s RCS billing guide Our guide: RCS pricing in India explained

Basic message

Text only, up to 160 characters. Charged per message.

Rich message

Images, cards, carousels, or text longer than 160 characters. Charged per message, usually more than basic.

Conversation

For conversational agents: messages within a 24-hour window after the customer replies are charged as one conversation.

SMS fallback

Messages sent as SMS fallback are charged as SMS.

TextNation pricing depends on your volumes and message mix.

Get a quote

Launch RCS in five steps

From agent registration to your first report.

  1. Step 1

    Register your RCS agent

    Brand name, logo, colours, description and contact details. The agent is verified and approved before it can message customers — we help you through it.

  2. Step 2

    Create templates

    Text, rich card or carousel, with buttons and quick replies. Preview exactly what customers will see.

  3. Step 3

    Turn on SMS fallback

    Pick a DLT-registered SMS sender and approved template, so numbers RCS can’t reach still get the message.

  4. Step 4

    Send

    From the panel, your systems through our API, WebEngage, or as steps in a Journey.

  5. Step 5

    Measure

    Delivered and read per number, how many went out as SMS, usage reports and exports for your team.

RCS questions, answered

Is RCS available in India?
Yes. RCS business messages reach Android phones in Google Messages, the default messaging app on most Android phones in India. Whether a particular number can receive RCS depends on the phone, its messaging app and the mobile network, so with SMS fallback on, any number the RCS message can’t reach is sent your SMS instead.
Does RCS work on iPhone in India?
Apple added RCS to iPhones with iOS 18, and support depends on the mobile operator. In September 2026 Jio was reported to have started RCS business messaging to iPhone users on its network. With SMS fallback on, iPhones that can’t receive an RCS business message get your SMS instead.
What happens if a phone can’t receive RCS?
With SMS fallback on, you pick a DLT-registered SMS sender and an approved template for the campaign. If the RCS message can’t be delivered to a number, that SMS is sent to it automatically. Reports show, for every number, whether it got RCS or SMS.
How is RCS business messaging charged?
Most business RCS is charged per message. Google’s billing model treats a text-only message of up to 160 characters as a basic message, and a message with rich content (images, cards, carousels) or longer text as a single, rich message. Conversational agents are charged per 24-hour conversation instead. Any SMS sent as fallback is charged as SMS. TextNation pricing depends on your volumes and message mix — talk to us for a quote.
What do I need to start sending RCS?
A verified RCS sender (an “agent”) with your brand name, logo, description and contact details, approved before it can message customers; templates for the messages you want to send; and, for fallback, a DLT-registered SMS sender and template. We help you through agent registration.
What can an RCS message contain?
Plain text, a rich card (image or video with a title, description and buttons) or a carousel of several cards. Buttons can open a link, start a call, share a location, or send a quick reply back to you.
Can I send RCS through an API or from WebEngage?
Yes. Send from the TextNation panel, through our HTTP API, from WebEngage using TextNation as the RCS provider, or as steps in a Journey. Delivery reports come back to your system by webhook.
Should I use RCS or WhatsApp?
They suit different jobs. RCS arrives in the phone’s default inbox — where OTPs and alerts already land — and falls back to SMS, so nobody is left out. WhatsApp needs the customer to have WhatsApp and to have opted in, and works best for two-way conversations. Many brands use both: RCS with SMS fallback for alerts and offers, WhatsApp for conversations.

Upgrade your SMS to RCS — without losing reach

Rich, branded messages where RCS works, and your SMS everywhere else — on the platform you already use.

Talk to us about RCSRequest a demo