An enhancement to SMS text messaging. Rich Communication Services (RCS) supports high-resolution images and videos as well as location identification. It allows typing indicators (recipient is typing now), read receipts, confirmations and accessibility features.
In 2008, the GSM Association (GSMA) began development and published the RCS Universal Profile specifications in 2016. Two years later, RCS Business Messaging (RBM) added features for business to consumer (B2C) marketing such as sender verification, payments and receipts. See
SMS and
GSM Association.
Between Android and Apple
Google began using RCS on Android phones in 2018, and Apple added RCS in 2024, enabling users of both platforms to message each other with enhanced capabilities.