How RCS Business Messaging Delivers Rich, Trusted Experiences Customers Crave

The Evolution of SMS

Consumers are overwhelmed by text-initiated fraud, large volumes of text messages from unknown numbers and increasingly wary of links. RCS (Rich Communication Services) gives brands a verified, app-like messaging channel with rich media, carousels, quick replies and delivery/read receipts. With Airship, you can orchestrate RCS alongside push, email and in-app, measure outcomes, and safely scale globally. 

Why SMS Is No Longer Enough

• Brands need a messaging channel that is both richer and more trustworthy than SMS. Why? Text has reach, but created a new set of issues. Scams Are Spiking: In 2024, consumers reported $470M in losses that started with text messages, over 5X higher than 2020. That rising fraud hurts consumer trust in SMS.
• Customer Fatigue Is Real: Heavy frequency and generic promos lead to opt-outs and churn. Surveys show a notable share of consumers abandon brands due to excessive SMS.

When trust drops, clicks and conversions follow. 

Meet Rich Communication Services (RCS): Richly Interactive and Natively Verified

If you’re a fan of SMS, you’re going to love the next evolution of text messaging. RCS modernizes texting inside the default Messages app with high-res media, carousels, suggested replies/actions, and read receipts. Every brand appears with a verified sender profile that displays your business name and badge, which combats spoofing/scams and increases confidence.

RCS is no longer niche:

• Platform Coverage: Apple added RCS support in iOS 18, bringing richer Android–iPhone texting and expanding the reachable audience for brands as carriers enable RCS Business Messaging.
• U.S. Momentum: Google reports over 1 billion RCS messages sent daily in the U.S. following iPhone adoption.
• Global Scale: Industry counts of over 1 billion monthly active RCS users continue to rise with Apple and operator support.

Bottom line: RCS combines the reach of texting with the feel of an app and the reassurance of visible brand identity and verification.

RCS Business Messaging (RBM) Supports

What Brands Can Build With RCS:

• Verified Sender Profiles that display your brand name, logo, and a verification badge to build customer trust.
• Rich Cards and Carousels for product discovery and content.
• Suggested Replies and Actions that guide next steps.
• Media and Event PDFs for confirmations, tickets and policies.
• Delivery and Read Receipts for operational insight.

These features make conversations feel more intuitive and engaging than SMS by providing branded, guided interactions, even when a link takes customers to the web or app to complete the journey.

Trust That Customers Can See

RCS verifies the business identity in the messaging UI. Your brand name, logo and a verification badge reduce spoofing risk and increase click comfort — a meaningful upgrade at a time when text-initiated fraud is growing.

RCS On iPhone: What to Know Right Now

RCS has been supported since iOS 18 launched in 2024. Availability for business messaging depends on carrier support and region, and Apple documents how to enable RCS on iPhone. For peer-to-peer, Apple and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) have outlined a path toward interoperable encryption; while business messaging continues to emphasize verified sender identity and carrier-level safeguards.

How Airship Helps You Win With RCS

Airship gives marketers a fast, safe path to value with RCS — without adding operational complexity.

1. Orchestrate End-To-End Journeys
   Coordinate RCS with push, email, in-app, wallet passes and Scenes so every message is consistent across channels. Trigger based on behavior, lifecycle stage, or AI-powered recommendations.
2. Personalize With Your Data
   Use first-party and zero-party data to tailor content, eligibility and offers. Update profiles in real time to keep messages relevant.
3. Measure What Matters
   Track delivery, reads, taps, deep links and revenue attribution. Compare RCS vs SMS/MMS performance to quantify uplift.
4. Scale Globally With Operator Best Practices
   Airship works within the GSMA Universal Profile and leading aggregator ecosystems to accelerate approvals and maintain reliability.
5. Automatically Fallback To SMS/MMS
   Ensure message delivery by automatically defaulting to SMS or MMS when a customer’s device is not RCS ready.
6. Identify RCS Enabled Channels
   Flag RCS-enabled SMS channels in order to deliver tailored experiences, such as delivering Contact Cards (vCards) to your non-RCS-enabled SMS channels and suppressing them otherwise 
7. Design Rich, Shoppable Messages (Coming Soon)
   Build carousels, cards and quick-reply flows that reduce friction from browse to buy. No heavy dev cycles. Ship tests quickly and learn faster.

RCS Vs SMS: What Changes in Practice

Proof Points That Matter to Executives

• Audience Ready Now: Since 2024, iOS 18 has supported RCS and U.S. traffic already tops 1B RCS messages per day. Your customers are seeing RCS experiences today.
• Trust Imperative: Text-originated scams hit $470M in 2024, so verified, branded senders are a competitive advantage.

Getting Started With Airship RCS

Phase 1: Readiness

• Brand verification and sender profile setup
• Consent strategy and fallback plan
• Template library for priority use cases

Phase 2: Pilot

• Launch 2–3 journeys where RCS richness changes outcomes (catalogs, order updates, support)
• A/B compare against SMS to quantify lift

Phase 3: Scale

• Expand to lifecycle programs, promotions and service notifications
• Feed insights into creative and offer optimization

FAQs

Is RCS Available To All My Customers?
RCS coverage is broad on Android and expanding on iPhone with iOS 18. Business messaging availability depends on the carrier and region. Airship detects availability and falls back to SMS or MMS automatically.

Is RCS More Secure Than SMS?
Yes. For consumers, RCS improves authenticity with verified business profiles and reduces reliance on suspicious links. Work on interoperable encryption applies primarily to person-to-person messaging; business messaging focuses on verified identity and carrier controls.

What Will My Team Need To Change?
Very little. Airship provides templates, journey orchestration and analytics so marketers can design, test and measure without heavy engineering work.

Next Steps

Are you ready to upgrade from basic texts to branded, interactive conversations that customers trust? Talk to Airship about RCS and see how fast you can move from pilot to impact.

References

• Apple: iOS 18 adds support for RCS; carrier availability and enablement details.
• Google RBM developer docs on rich cards, media, PDFs, suggested replies/actions.
• GSMA Universal Profile specification and overview.
• FTC: 2024 text-message scam losses reached $470M.
• RCS adoption and traffic: 1B daily RCS messages in the U.S. post-iPhone adoption.