Glossary

What is RCS?

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the modern carrier messaging standard that brings read receipts, typing indicators, and high-quality media to non-iMessage devices.

RCS is the natural fallback tier between iMessage and plain SMS. When a recipient cannot receive an iMessage, RCS often still supports richer formatting than SMS.

Outbound platforms typically cascade automatically: iMessage first, RCS second, SMS last, so every contact receives the message on the best channel their device supports.