RCS gives businesses a richer messaging experience than traditional SMS by supporting branded sender identities, media, interactive elements, and enhanced delivery signals on compatible devices.
HighLevel also supports SMS fallback when RCS is unavailable, helping businesses maintain message reach across different devices and networks. RCS requires account enablement and an approved RCS Sender ID before messages can be sent. RCS is currently documented as part of the HighLevel Private Beta.
IMPORTANT: RCS is currently available as part of the RCS Private Beta. Availability and supported capabilities may vary by account.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is RCS in HighLevel?
- Join Our Private Beta List
- Key Benefits of RCS in HighLevel
- What You Can Send with RCS
- How RCS Compares to SMS and MMS
- Who Can Receive RCS?
- Compliance and Consent
- Setting Up RCS
- Fees & Timelines (US Registrations)
- The Setup Steps
- Message Statuses
- Pricing and Billing
- Failed Message Billing
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Ready to Get Started?
What is RCS in HighLevel?
Rich Communication Services (RCS) expands business messaging beyond traditional SMS by allowing compatible recipients to receive branded and interactive messages in their supported messaging app. Understanding how RCS differs from SMS helps you design messages that take advantage of rich features while remaining effective when SMS fallback is required.
RCS in HighLevel can support capabilities such as:
Branded business identity
Images and rich media
Tappable actions such as Call, Open URL, and Suggested Reply
Standalone rich cards
Carousels
Delivery signals
Read or Opened signals when supported by the recipient's device and settings
Recipients must have a supported device, messaging app, carrier or network, and RCS configuration. When those requirements are not met, HighLevel can use SMS fallback when fallback is enabled.
| The core idea is that RCS is SMS with a brand identity. Same reliability, dramatically better experience for contacts who can receive it. |
Join Our Private Beta ListForm not loading? Open it in a new tab. |
Key Benefits of RCS in HighLevel
RCS combines familiar business messaging with richer branding and interaction options. These capabilities can make messages easier to recognize, act on, and measure while SMS fallback provides an alternative for contacts who cannot receive RCS.
Branded Messaging: Display a recognizable business identity in supported RCS experiences instead of relying only on a phone number.
Rich Content: Add supported images, cards, carousels, and structured content to create more engaging messages.
Interactive Actions: Give contacts tappable options such as calling your business, opening a URL, or selecting a suggested reply.
Flexible Sending: Use RCS in supported 1:1 Conversations, RCS Snippets, Bulk Actions, and supported Workflow experiences.
Delivery Visibility: View delivery states such as Sent, Delivered, and Opened when the recipient's device supports the applicable signal.
SMS Fallback: Deliver an SMS alternative when the recipient cannot receive the intended RCS experience and fallback is configured.
What You Can Send with RCS
RCS gives you a set of tools that plain SMS simply doesn't offer. Depending on your plan and configuration, you can send:
- Branded messages — your business name appears in the inbox instead of a phone number
- Images and rich media layouts
- Tappable action buttons — Call, Open URL, or Suggested Replies
- Standalone rich cards with titles, descriptions, images, and buttons
- Carousels — multiple swipeable cards in a single message
- Read receipts and delivery signals where the recipient's device supports them
You can send RCS in two ways: as a 1:1 message directly from a contact's Conversations thread, or as a campaign via Bulk Actions using pre-built RCS Snippets. Both are covered in the companion article — How to Create RCS Snippets and Send RCS Messages.
How RCS Compares to SMS and MMS
Before using RCS, it helps to understand exactly what it adds — and where its limits are. The biggest one: RCS reach is growing but not yet universal. That makes it important to design every message so the SMS fallback version is just as clear and useful as the rich version.
| Feature | SMS | MMS | RCS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text messaging | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Images and media | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Branded sender experience | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Rich cards | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Carousels | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Suggested replies and actions | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Delivery status | Limited | Limited | ✅ |
| Read/Open status | ❌ | ❌ | ✅, when supported |
| Requires RCS-compatible recipient | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| SMS fallback support | N/A | N/A | ✅ |
| ⭐ Design for both Before finalizing any RCS message, ask: if this arrives as plain text with no image and no buttons, does it still make sense? If yes, you're ready. If no, revise the copy first. |
Who Can Receive RCS?
RCS delivery depends on four things aligning on the recipient's end: their device, their messaging app, their carrier, and their app settings. In practice:
- Most modern Android devices using Google Messages or a carrier-supported app are ready to receive RCS
- iPhone support depends on iOS version and carrier — many iPhone users still receive SMS fallback today
- Even within Android, some carrier configurations limit certain RCS features
- Recipients can disable RCS features in their app settings, which also triggers fallback
HighLevel handles detection and routing automatically. You send one message — the platform determines whether to deliver it as RCS or fall back to SMS based on what the recipient can actually receive.
| What fallback means in practice When a message falls back to SMS, the recipient gets your fallback text instead of the rich card. Billing reflects SMS pricing for that message. Opt-outs apply across both channels — a contact who opts out via SMS is suppressed on RCS too. |
Compliance and Consent
RCS is a branded, high-visibility channel — which means the same compliance principles that govern SMS apply here, just with higher stakes. Getting this right protects your deliverability, your sender reputation, and your customers.
Opt-In
Only send RCS to contacts who have explicitly opted in. Your opt-in must tell them what type of messages they'll receive, how often, how to opt out, and how to reach support.
Opt-Out
Honor these keywords immediately and without exception — they must suppress all future messages across both RCS and SMS:
STOP • UNSUBSCRIBE • CANCEL • END • QUIT
The opt-out notice is appended to the first 1:1 RCS message sent to a new contact — unlike SMS, it doesn't repeat periodically after that. Texas blocking rules apply the same as SMS and MMS.
Content and Sending Frequency
Avoid deceptive, misleading, or spammy content. Keep sending frequency consistent with what you promised at opt-in. Reminders, confirmations, and genuinely useful updates perform best — they feel like service, not noise. For regulated industries, ensure your messaging aligns with your specific legal obligations.
| Sender identity Use a sender name that matches your business or website exactly. Inconsistency in your sender identity erodes trust and increases opt-outs over time. |
Setting Up RCS
RCS needs to be enabled on your account before you can send anything. The process runs through HighLevel Support — here's the full sequence:
What to Have Ready
- Brand name and website URL
- Support email and/or business phone number
- Business address
- Logo (if your configuration supports it)
- A working opt-in process already in place for your contacts
- A connected Twilio account
Fees & Timelines (US Registrations)
A quick heads-up on fees & timelines: there are carrier fees involved for US registrations:
|
Registrations are also available for several other countries. See the most up-to-date list of supported regions: Programmable Messaging – RCS Regional Availability
The Setup Steps
| 01 | Request RCS Access Request RCS activation on your account. Nothing else can happen until this is confirmed. |
| 02 | Create Your RCS Sender Profile Your sender profile is your brand's identity on the RCS network — name, logo, contact details. ISV locations work with HighLevel Support directly. Non-ISV locations share their brand details with Support for setup. |
| 03 | Submit for Carrier Approval HighLevel Support submits your sender profile for approval. This is required before any message can go out. Approval timelines vary — complete, accurate submissions move through faster. |
| 04 | Enable SMS Fallback Go to Settings → Messaging → RCS → Fallback and turn on Fallback to SMS. This ensures every message reaches every contact — RCS where supported, SMS where not. |
| 05 | Send a Test Message Open Conversations, pick a test contact (US Android device recommended), and send a plain text message first, then test rich content. Some contacts may receive SMS fallback — this is expected behavior, not an error. |
Message Statuses
After a message is sent, HighLevel shows delivery signals directly in the conversation view:
| Status | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Sent | Message left HighLevel and is in transit. |
| Delivered | Message arrived on the recipient's device. |
| Opened | Recipient viewed the message (where device supports read receipts). |
Read receipts are only available when the recipient's device and messaging app support them — and recipients can turn this off. Treat it as a useful signal when it appears, not a metric you can rely on universally.
Pricing and Billing
RCS billing is based on message type and direction. Here's the full breakdown for US messages:
| Message Type | Direction | Billing Unit | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic RCS Text | Outbound | Per segment | $0.0083 |
| Basic RCS Text | Inbound | Per message | $0.0083 |
| Rich RCS | Inbound | Per message | $0.0165 |
| Rich RCS | Outbound | Per message | $0.0220 |
Carrier Fees
- Carrier fees are billed directly by Twilio
- Agency Accounts: standard Twilio pricing
- Location Accounts: Twilio pricing + 5% markup
Failed Message Billing
| Scenario A — RCS fails → SMS fallback delivers No RCS charge. You pay only for the SMS that successfully delivered. |
| Scenario B — RCS fails → SMS fallback also fails A static processing fee of $0.001 applies — unless the failure matches specific Twilio error codes (30036, 30002, 30450, 21408, and others), in which case no fee is charged. |
| First-attempt rule First-attempt RCS failures that trigger SMS fallback are not charged. A fee only applies if the final SMS fallback also fails. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did my test message arrive as SMS instead of RCS?
The recipient may not currently meet the device, app, network, carrier, or RCS-setting requirements for RCS. If SMS fallback is enabled, fallback in this situation can be expected behavior.
Q: Does an Opened status appear for every RCS recipient?
No. Read or Opened signals depend on the recipient's device, messaging application, and settings. Recipients may also disable read receipts.
Q: Can I send an RCS Snippet directly to one contact?
HighLevel currently documents 1:1 RCS Snippet sending from Conversations as a Private Beta capability, so availability may vary by account.
Q: Can RCS be automated through Workflows?
HighLevel's current RCS sending documentation includes RCS-specific Workflow actions for supported accounts in the Private Beta.
Q: Why does my RCS cost differ between messages?
Billing can differ based on country, message direction, whether the message contains media, message classification, and applicable segmentation or carrier rules. Refer to the dedicated RCS billing article for current pricing.
Q: Should I put important information only inside an RCS button?
No. Some contacts may receive an SMS fallback that does not preserve the rich RCS experience. Keep critical information and calls to action understandable in the fallback text.
Q: Why can't I select an RCS Sender ID when sending?
Confirm that RCS has been enabled for the account and that the required sender onboarding and approval process has been completed. Non-ISV accounts should also verify that the required sender information has been correctly configured and provided to HighLevel.
Ready to Get Started?
If RCS isn't enabled on your account yet, reach out to HighLevel Support to get the feature activated. Once you're approved and your Sender ID is live, the next step is creating your first RCS Snippet and sending it to your contacts.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of creating Snippets and sending your first RCS campaign, see the companion article: How to Create RCS Snippets and Send RCS Messages.
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