Get started with branded RCS messaging (public beta)

• RCS messaging is restricted in some regions. See Regional availability to learn more.
• Programmatic access for creating RCS Senders and onboarding at scale is not available.

Complete these steps before you set up RCS messaging:

• Sign up for a Twilio account and upgrade to a paid account.
• Set up Messaging Services and add a phone number. Messaging Service allows you to fall back to SMS or MMS if a message fails to send using RCS.

Follow these steps to set up and configure RCS messaging with Twilio.

Allow four to six weeks (or longer if launching in multiple regions) to complete the setup process.

You can create multiple RCS Senders, but they can't be shared between Twilio Accounts. Each RCS Sender will show as a different messaging thread on a end user's device.

1. Go to the RCS Senders page in the Twilio Console and click Create RCS Sender.
2. Accept the terms and conditions, provide a display name, and click Continue.
   (information)

   Creating multiple Senders for the same brand?

   When creating multiple RCS Senders for the same brand (e.g., "Owl Homes"), use unique display names for each Sender so users can tell them apart in their Messaging app. (e.g., "Owl Homes Support" and "Owl Homes Promotion") Carriers will typically not approve RCS Senders with the same display name and logo.

3. On the Public details page, provide the following information:
   • Display name
   • Description
   • Logo image
   • Banner image
   • Accent color
   • Contact details, which can include phone numbers, email addresses, and websites, but at least one phone number or email address is required.
   • Privacy policy URL
   • Terms of service URL
4. Click Next to save your RCS Sender. Try it out and see how your RCS Sender displays on your own device.
   1. Click Add device to test this sender and enter in your phone number.
   2. You will receive an RCS message from the "RBM Tester Management" Sender. Tap Make me a tester to accept the invite.
   3. You can also send test RCS messages directly from the Console. To receive inbound messages, use the Configure tab to set your Sender's webhooks.
5. Click Done to finish creating your RCS Sender. If you want to continue to edit and refine your RCS Sender, click View Sender. If you're finished updating the Sender's display information, click to go to the Carrier Approval tab to submit compliance information. You need carrier approval to message users who are not a test user for your RCS Sender.

6. Go to your RCS Sender's Carrier Approval tab and click Continue setup.

7. After submitting the compliance information, you won't be able to edit your Sender's public display details. Click I understand to continue.

8. Complete the compliance form.

   Provide compliance information about your business and messaging use case(s):

   1. Select the countries where you want to launch your RCS Sender.
   2. Campaign Review: Provide a video showing sample campaign messages, including a functional opt-out flow. To avoid future re-approvals, include both promotional and transactional sample content, even if you plan to start with only one.
   3. User interaction: Describe how users interact with your RCS Sender, including opt-in processes and message triggers.
   4. Authorized representative: Provide contact information for someone who can represent the RCS Sender's brand.

9. Review the warning and submit.

   (warning)

   Public display details locked after submission

   Once you submit your RCS Sender for carrier approval, you can no longer edit your Sender's public details in the Twilio Console. Any changes after submission require manual updates through Twilio Support and may require downtime.

   Click Submit to submit your RCS Sender to Twilio and carriers for approval. A ticket will be created and you will receive an email from Twilio confirming your Sender submission.

10. Provide additional carrier compliance information (if applicable):

Depending on carrier requirements within your selected countries, Twilio might request additional compliance information. You may also receive verification emails from a third party (e.g., Aegis, Google) with instructions to verify you have permission to operate a Sender (sometimes called an agent) for the brand submitted.

11. Monitor approval status:

Your RCS Sender shows as Under Review during the approval process. Approval timelines vary by carrier. At any point, you can reply to the initial ticket created when submitting your Sender for an update.

12. Add your RCS Sender to a Messaging Service:

Once approved, configure your approved RCS Sender for production use:

1. Go to the Messaging Services page in the Twilio Console.
2. Either:
   • Go to your RCS Sender's Configuration tab and assign it to a Messaging Service, or
   • Go to your Messaging Service's Sender Pool tab and add your RCS Sender

The Messaging Service attempts to use the RCS Sender first for all messages. If the recipient's device can't receive RCS messages, Twilio uses SMS fallback. You can associate only one RCS Sender with a Messaging Service.

13. Set up Advance Opt-Out handling for your RCS Sender:
    1. Go to the Messaging Services page in the Twilio Console.
    2. Click your Messaging Service and select Opt-Out Management from the sidebar.
    3. Configure opt-out keywords and responses in the local language of your target regions.
    4. Click Enable Advanced Opt-Out.

To learn more about Advanced Opt-Out, see Customizing Users' Opt-in and Opt-out Experience with Advanced Opt-Out.

To learn how to send and receive branded RCS messages, see Send and receive branded RCS messages (public beta).

To stop using RCS, you can either send messages through a different Messaging Service or remove the RCS Sender from the Messaging Service.

To remove the RCS Sender from the Messaging Service:

1. Navigate to the Messaging Services page in the Twilio Console.
2. Select the Messaging Service associated with your RCS Sender, then click Sender Pool in the sidebar.
3. Click Remove to delete the RCS Sender from the Messaging Service.

Alternatively, you can set the Messaging Service to None on the RCS Sender's Configuration tab.