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Get started with branded RCS messaging


Unlike Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), or Rich Communication Services (RCS)(link takes you to an external page) between users, RCS business messaging doesn't send messages through a phone number. An RCS Sender, or RCS agent, sends RCS messages. Messages sent from different RCS Senders display in separate conversation threads, similar to SMS or MMS messages sent from different phone numbers.

In this tutorial, you can learn the setup and configuration for branded RCS messages:

  1. Create an RCS Sender and send test messages
  2. Submit compliance for carrier approval
  3. Update Messaging Service configuration

To learn more about RCS, see RCS Business Messaging.


Limitations

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  • Only some countries support RCS messaging.
  • Programmatic access can't create RCS Senders or onboard them at scale.

Configuring RCS requires completion of the following tasks first.

  1. Sign up for Twilio(link takes you to an external page).
  2. Upgrade to a paid Twilio account(link takes you to an external page).
  3. Set up Messaging Services with a phone number for SMS or MMS.

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

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

Create an RCS sender

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  1. Log in to the Twilio Console(link takes you to an external page).

  2. Go to Explore Products > Programmable Communications > RCS.
    The RCS Senders page(link takes you to an external page) displays.

  3. Click Create RCS Sender.

  4. Type the name of your sender in the Sender display name box.

    (information)

    Creating multiple Senders for the same brand?

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

  5. Review the terms and conditions. If you accept them, select I acknowledge and agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

  6. Click Continue. The Create Sender: Public details page displays.

  7. Provide the following data. All fields require values. Carriers in some countries have Special Considerations regarding a Sender's public display.

    FieldDescriptionRequirementsDevices
    Display nameName shown to usersUnique per RCS SenderiOS, Android
    DescriptionBrief summary of sender including how users interact with itDoesn't support HTML, JSON, Unix commands, or escaped characters.iOS, Android
    Logo imageBrand logo in conversationsJPEG, JPG, or PNG image, 224 x 224 pixels, max size 50kB, accessible from a public URLiOS, Android
    Banner imageBanner at top of conversationJPEG, JPG, or PNG image, 1140 x 448 pixels, max size 200 kB, accessible from a public URLAndroid
    Accent colorColor of certain elements displayedCan match brand colors. Use a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5 to 1(link takes you to an external page) compared to white. Type a HTML color code(link takes you to an external page) or click the color icon and choose a color.Android
    Contact detailsOne or more labeled phone numbers, email addresses, or websitesRequires at least one phone number or email address. Format phone numbers as E.164.iOS, Android
    Privacy policy URLLink to brand privacy policyMay need to be accessible in country's official language.iOS, Android
    Terms of service URLLink to brand terms of serviceMay need to be accessible in country's official language.iOS, Android
  8. Click Next. The Create Sender: Try it out page displays.

  1. Click Add device to test this sender.

  2. Type your phone number in E.164 format in the box.

  3. Click Invite.

  4. The RBM Tester Management Sender sends a test RCS message to your phone.

  5. To accept the invite, tap Make me a tester on your phone. Your phone displays this message:

    You have been confirmed as a tester of the RBM agent: <Display Name>.

  6. The modal changes to Send test message and displays the following message:

    The owner of <PHONE_NUMBER> has accepted the tester invitation for this sender. The invite was sent to their SMS inbox.

    Select the checkbox next to this message.

  7. To send another test RCS message, type a message in the Your message box.

  8. Click Send.

  9. Check your phone again. It should receive a message from the Display name you provided with the text of the message you wrote.

  10. If you don't want to configure your Sender for incoming messages, click Done.

    • Otherwise, continue to the next section.

Configure incoming message handling

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Before leaving the Create Sender workflow, you can configure your app to accept inbound messages.

  1. Click the Configure tab.

  2. On the Endpoints page, provide the following details:

    FieldDescriptionValues
    Webhook URL for incoming messagesApp endpoint that receives incoming messages.Valid URL following RFC 1808(link takes you to an external page)
    Webhook methodHTTP method used to reach the incoming webhook URL.POST, PUT
    Fallback URL for incoming messagesApp endpoint targeted when the incoming messages URL can't be reached or a runtime exception triggered.Valid URL following RFC 1808(link takes you to an external page)
    Webhook methodHTTP method used to reach the fallback webhook URL.POST, PUT
    Status callback URLApp endpoint that displays the delivery status.Valid URL following RFC 1808(link takes you to an external page)
    Webhook methodHTTP method used to reach the status callback URL.POST, PUT
    Assigned Messaging ServiceMessaging service that your app uses.
  3. Click Done to finish creating the RCS Sender.

    • To continue to edit and refine the RCS Sender, click View Sender.
    • To explore RCS, send RCS messages to phone numbers added as test devices.
    • Before you may message phone numbers not added to your Sender as a test device, carriers must approve the RCS Sender. To submit your RCS Sender for approval, click Go to Carrier Approval tab, explained in the next section.

Submit compliance for carrier approval

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  1. Click the Carrier Approval tab.

  2. Click Continue setup.

  3. A prompt displays titled Warning: Public brand details locked after submit. It explains that you can't change the compliance information after submission.

    • If you want to continue, click I understand.
    • If you want to check your details, click Review public details.
    (warning)

    Public display details locked after submission

    Once you submit the RCS Sender for carrier approval, you can't edit your Sender's public details in the Twilio Console. Any changes after submission require manual updates through Twilio Support(link takes you to an external page) and may require downtime.

  4. Provide compliance information about your business and messaging use cases.

    1. Click Show under Select countries.

    2. Click each country where you want to deploy your RCS Sender.

    3. Click Show under Campaign Review.

      1. Choose Video as the Media Type.
      2. Type a publicly accessible URL to a video that shows 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. To add more than one video, click Add Media Sample and repeat the last two steps.
    4. Click Show under User interaction.

      1. Include a screenshot of your opt-in flow.
      2. Type an explanation for which actions trigger messages to users.
      3. Type an explanation for which types of interactions your sender should have with users.
      4. Type the message returned when a user opts out.
    5. Click Show under Authorized representative.
      Type the contact details for someone who can represent the RCS Sender's brand in the following boxes.

      • Name of organization employee
      • Email of organization employee
      • Title
      • Organization website URL
      (information)

      Info

      Twilio emails the person listed under Authorized representative to provide status updates and to request additional information required by carriers. If you're an ISV submitting an RCS Sender on behalf of your customer's brand, enter your contact information in this field. After Twilio contacts you, supply your customer's contact information. Carriers require this information for brand authorization and approval.

  5. Select I understand my Sender's brand details cannot be changed after launching

  6. Click Submit. This sends your RCS Sender to Twilio and carriers for approval.

  7. If carriers require it within your selected countries, prompts for those countries display.

    • Twilio might request additional compliance data on behalf of those countries.
    • You might receive verification emails from a third party, like Aegis or Google. They include instructions asking you if you have authorization to operate an RCS Sender for your submitted brand.
  8. Monitor your RCS Sender approval status.

    • During the approval process, the RCS Sender displays an icon in the Under Review column of the Senders table.
    • Approval timelines vary by carrier.
    • At any point you can reply to the initial support ticket to get an update.
    • When one carrier goes live or received approval in a given country, you can start using this RCS Sender in production.

Update Messaging Service configuration

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  1. Add the RCS Sender to a Messaging Service.

    Once at least one carrier has approved, configure the RCS Sender for production use:

    1. Go to the Messaging Services page in the Twilio Console(link takes you to an external page).
    2. Choose from two options:
      • Go to the RCS Sender's Configuration tab and assign it to a Messaging Service.
      • Go to your Messaging Service's Sender Pool tab and add the RCS Sender.

    You can associate only one RCS Sender with each Messaging Service.

  2. Set up Advance Opt-Out handling for the RCS Sender:

    1. Go to the Messaging Services page in the Twilio Console(link takes you to an external page).
    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.


Send and receive branded RCS messages

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To learn how to send and receive branded RCS messages, see Send and receive branded RCS messages.


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

Remove RCS Sender from Messaging Service

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To remove the RCS Sender from the Messaging Services:

  1. Log in to the Twilio Console(link takes you to an external page).
  2. Go to Messaging > Services(link takes you to an external page).
  3. Select the Messaging Service associated with the RCS Sender.
  4. Click Sender Pool in the sidebar.
  5. Click Remove. This delete the RCS Sender from the Messaging Service.

Remove Messaging Service from RCS Sender

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To remove the Messaging Service from the RCS Sender:

  1. Log in to the Twilio Console(link takes you to an external page).
  2. Go to Explore Products > Programmable Communications > RCS > Senders.
    The RCS Senders page(link takes you to an external page) displays.
  3. Click on the RCS Sender to change.
  4. Click the Configuration tab.
  5. Set the Messaging Service to None.
  6. Click Save Configuration.