What Does RCS Message Mean?  The Next Step in Messaging

Billions of users text annually, and Rich Communication Services (RCS) provide many more communication channels than others. But what is RCS messaging, and how does it work? The built-in substitute for SMS was RCS. It lets Android users enjoy the same capabilities as Apple’s iMessage system.

Although RCS was first proposed fifteen years ago, its broad acceptance has since increased, with more than one billion monthly active users enabled and complete coverage from operators in ten countries.

In what ways may this benefit your company? Explore how to build consumer trust and improve engagement and sales using RCS.  

What Does RCS Message Mean?

What Is Rcs Chat?

An RCS chat is just a conversation with one or more RCS messages. As stated differently, when you send or receive an RCS message, an RCS chat opens up, allowing you to chat back and forth between RCS messages.

Features of RCS Message –

Beyond conventional SMS and MMS constraints, an RCS message offers various capabilities to enable the user experience, such as iMessage or another chat software like Facebook Messenger. The typical user can access a few features:

Excellent Multimedia Messaging

RCS lets users send multimedia materials inside chats free from MMS’s file size restrictions. For instance, most smartphone users may agree that using MMS to share a video over a few seconds long is not user-friendly. This is less of an issue with RCS.

Reading Receipts

If you have an iPhone or send someone a text message via Messenger, you are familiar with read receipts; RCS now extends this capability to messaging from Android smartphones. You can thus find out whether someone has seen your message.

Indicating Typing

RCS offers real-time typing indicators as well. You will notice a “typing” alert when someone is responding, providing instantaneous comments on the direction of the discussion. However, it can occasionally cause you to go into crisis mode when you keep seeing those “dots” show and fade, and you wonder, “Why aren’t they texting me back?”

Group Calls

Dynamic group conversations are supported by RCS, enabling smoother group messaging administration. You can build, name, and oversee groups—or withdraw from them—using RCS. If you use apps like Messenger, you might already know how this works and how occasionally helpful it can be in maintaining more ordered group messaging.

Safe Exchange of Ideas

End-to-end encryption made possible by RCS messaging helps keep your chats private and safe—crucial for delicate or secret communications. By contrast, SMS communications are not encrypted.

Advantages Of RCS Message Sending

Improved Transmission and User Experience

RCS seeks to make texting a more dynamic, richer experience. High-resolution multimedia messaging, reading receipts, and typing indicators, among other enhanced tools, make talks more lively and exciting. More expressive conversation may follow from this kind of improved experience.

Higher Corporate Involvement

RCS messaging could direct companies to consumers with richer (and branded) content. Interactive communications with graphics and buttons can increase customer involvement and support action, including purchasing or scheduling appointments.

Flexibility in Transmission

RCS is a flexible channel, unlike SMS, and it is not only for one kind of correspondence. It’s for personal conversations, group projects, business marketing, customer service, and everything else you require for correspondence.

Effortless Integration

Usually included within a user’s messaging app, RCS is also easy to use—as long as the user owns an Android device. This is also like SMS. Users find it right there in their messaging app; they do not have to download different apps or register for extra services as was already described.

Psychological Harmony

RCS’s end-to-end encryption gives consumers more piece of mind, knowing their messages will be sent safely and confidentially. They can ease worries about messages being kept in unsafe locations.

Are RCS Going To Replace SMS?

RCS is the next generation of the communication protocol and is meant to replace SMS. Still, legacy SMS is likely not going to disappear anytime soon.

For one thing, RCS needs a mobile data connection to operate iMessage, WhatsApp, and other messaging applications. SMS still runs across a voice-only cellular connection. It should still be your backup when you have no cellular data or Wi-Fi. Between RCS and SMS, the Google Messages app can already accomplish the same tasks as Apple’s Messages app, which has been managing iMess and SMS since its launch.

Possibly, more crucially, RCS will probably never show up on feature phones. Not everybody wants or needs a smartphone, even now. There is still a market for those who wish to flip open a phone and make a call; some feature phones are far more robust than even the toughest cell phones, so they are far more suited for people who operate in high-risk surroundings. Text messaging with these smartphones will still require SMS.

Who supports RCS?

Being a carrier-side service, RCS still depends on your carrier for support. Although the RCS logo is becoming increasingly popular, some airlines still refer to older labels as Advanced Messaging Services, Joyn, and SMS Plus (SMS+). These are essentially just alternative names for RCS; currently, all the leading North American carriers and around 55 carriers globally provide RCS capability.

Still, several carriers have developed original RCS flavors that only fit with their messaging apps. Others, like Verizon, first teamed with Samsung to enable Advanced Messaging Services—especially Samsung Messages—before Samsung adopted Google’s more transparent RCS approach.

Though most carriers have embraced the RCS Universal Standard as a baseline, fragmentation is still a minor issue. This primarily relates to missing “bonus” capabilities like end-to-end encryption. Certain carriers, like Bell Mobility of Canada, have also said they are cutting support for RCS in Samsung Messages. They advise consumers to migrate to Google Messages to keep utilizing RCS.

What Distinguishes RCS From Other Instant Messaging Apps?

What, then, really distinguishes RCS from other chat apps like Messenger or WhatsApp?

1. One aspect that distinguishes it is universality, particularly within Apple’s expected acceptance.
2. RCS will widely accept many phones; hence, the recipient does not need Messenger installed to receive your message.
3. It also distinguishes it from iMessage in that RCS communications are in the same messaging app as your “regular” SMS and MMS.

How To Enable or Disable RCS Message In Your Smartphone

Should you not already have it turned on, you can do it on your phone by…

1. Returning to your Google Messages app
2. Choosing the top right corner icon or image
3. Choose the “Message settings” choice.
4. Choose the “RCS chats” option.
5. You may thus turn RCS messaging on or off from here.

The Bottom Line

We are in a “wait and see” phase as we watch how Apple’s RCS acceptance will turn out. Although the future is unpredictable, text marketers should retain their attention to the tried-and-true SMS and MMS strategies in the interim.

FAQs

What does “RCS Message” refer to?

An “RCS message” is “Rich Communication Services.” It refers to Android’s relatively recent texting tool, which has various capabilities that are not seen with conventional SMS or MMS. (View sections “What Is an RCS Message?” and “What Are the Key Features of an RCS Message?” above.)

What is Android RCS Message?

Available on Android devices, “RCS message” refers to “Rich Communication Services.” It lets you leverage improved “rich” tools when you message others. Apple products do not now support it.

Do iPhones let RCS messaging?

RCS messaging is not supported by iPhones as yet. Plans call for assistance to be implemented, but, not too far off—as early as autumn of this year. iPhones use Apple’s messaging app iMessage, which provides comparable capability instead of RCS.