RCS Getting Started

Send rich, interactive messages with RCS (Rich Communication Services). This guide covers the setup process, approval timeline, and how to send your first RCS message.

What is RCS?

RCS is a messaging protocol that delivers app-like experiences in the native messaging app—no app download required. Unlike SMS/MMS, RCS supports:

Rich cards with images, titles, and action buttons
Carousels for product showcases
Suggested replies for quick responses
Read receipts and typing indicators
High-resolution media (images, video, files)

RCS availability depends on the device, operating system, and carrier.

Prerequisites

A Telnyx account

Approval process

RCS requires agent registration and carrier approval before you can send messages to the general public. The process is similar to short code approval:

Create and submit the legal business behind the agent. Telnyx tracks the external brand review until verification completes.

Create and test the agent

Create the agent with its basic configuration, submit it, and add test devices. The agent can remain in this stage while campaign and carrier launch information is collected.

Submit launch information

When ready, provide the campaign, consent, message examples, and testing evidence. Telnyx submits each section in the provider’s required order.

Complete carrier approval

Telnyx tracks external verification and carrier launch until the agent is live. Review duration depends on the brand, use case, and carriers.

Go live

Once approved, your RCS Agent can send messages to any RCS-capable device.

Follow the RCS agent registration quickstart for the complete API workflow.

Testing during approval: Testing can begin before full carrier approval. Once the agent reaches the testing stage, add test devices and send test messages through the API.

1. Create a Messaging Profile

Go to Messaging

Navigate to Messaging in the portal.

Create a profile

Click Add new profile, give it a name (e.g., “RCS Profile”), and click Save.

Note your profile ID

Copy the Messaging Profile ID—you’ll need it when sending messages.

2. Get your API key

Go to API Keys and copy your API key (or create one if needed).

3. Send an RCS message

Once the RCS agent reaches the testing stage or is fully approved, send messages to its test devices or approved destinations.

Text Message
Rich Card
Suggested Replies

Send a simple text message via RCS:

curl -X POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/messages/rcs \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "your_rcs_agent_id",
    "to": "+15559876543",
    "messaging_profile_id": "your_messaging_profile_id",
    "agent_message": {
      "content_message": {
        "text": "Hello from Telnyx RCS!"
      }
    }
  }'

import Telnyx from 'telnyx';

const client = new Telnyx({
  apiKey: process.env['TELNYX_API_KEY'],
});

const response = await client.messages.rcs.send({
  agent_id: 'your_rcs_agent_id',
  to: '+15559876543',
  messaging_profile_id: 'your_messaging_profile_id',
  agent_message: {
    content_message: {
      text: 'Hello from Telnyx RCS!'
    }
  }
});

console.log(response.data);

import os
from telnyx import Telnyx

client = Telnyx(
    api_key=os.environ.get("TELNYX_API_KEY"),
)

response = client.messages.rcs.send(
    agent_id="your_rcs_agent_id",
    to="+15559876543",
    messaging_profile_id="your_messaging_profile_id",
    agent_message={
        "content_message": {
            "text": "Hello from Telnyx RCS!"
        }
    }
)

print(response.data)

require "telnyx"

client = Telnyx::Client.new(api_key: ENV["TELNYX_API_KEY"])

response = client.messages.rcs.send(
  agent_id: "your_rcs_agent_id",
  to: "+15559876543",
  messaging_profile_id: "your_messaging_profile_id",
  agent_message: {
    content_message: {
      text: "Hello from Telnyx RCS!"
    }
  }
)

puts(response)

package main

import (
  "context"
  "fmt"
  "os"

  "github.com/team-telnyx/telnyx-go/v4"
  "github.com/team-telnyx/telnyx-go/v4/option"
)

func main() {
  client := telnyx.NewClient(
    option.WithAPIKey(os.Getenv("TELNYX_API_KEY")),
  )
  response, err := client.Messages.Rcs.Send(context.TODO(), telnyx.MessageRcSendParams{
    AgentID:            telnyx.String("your_rcs_agent_id"),
    To:                 telnyx.String("+15559876543"),
    MessagingProfileID: telnyx.String("your_messaging_profile_id"),
    AgentMessage: telnyx.RcsAgentMessageParam{
      ContentMessage: telnyx.RcsAgentMessageContentMessageParam{
        Text: telnyx.String("Hello from Telnyx RCS!"),
      },
    },
  })
  if err != nil {
    panic(err.Error())
  }
  fmt.Printf("%+v\n", response.Data)
}

package com.telnyx.example;

import com.telnyx.sdk.client.TelnyxClient;
import com.telnyx.sdk.client.okhttp.TelnyxOkHttpClient;
import com.telnyx.sdk.models.messages.RcsMessageSendParams;
import com.telnyx.sdk.models.messages.RcsMessageSendResponse;

public final class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        TelnyxClient client = TelnyxOkHttpClient.fromEnv();

        RcsMessageSendParams params = RcsMessageSendParams.builder()
            .agentId("your_rcs_agent_id")
            .to("+15559876543")
            .messagingProfileId("your_messaging_profile_id")
            .agentMessage(RcsAgentMessage.builder()
                .contentMessage(RcsContentMessage.builder()
                    .text("Hello from Telnyx RCS!")
                    .build())
                .build())
            .build();

        RcsMessageSendResponse response = client.messages().sendRcs(params);
        System.out.println(response);
    }
}

using Telnyx;

var client = new TelnyxClient(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("TELNYX_API_KEY"));

var response = await client.Messages.SendRcsAsync(new RcsMessageSendParams
{
    AgentId = "your_rcs_agent_id",
    To = "+15559876543",
    MessagingProfileId = "your_messaging_profile_id",
    AgentMessage = new RcsAgentMessage
    {
        ContentMessage = new RcsContentMessage
        {
            Text = "Hello from Telnyx RCS!"
        }
    }
});

Console.WriteLine(response);

<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

\Telnyx\Telnyx::setApiKey(getenv('TELNYX_API_KEY'));

$response = \Telnyx\Message::createRcs([
    'agent_id' => 'your_rcs_agent_id',
    'to' => '+15559876543',
    'messaging_profile_id' => 'your_messaging_profile_id',
    'agent_message' => [
        'content_message' => [
            'text' => 'Hello from Telnyx RCS!'
        ]
    ]
]);

print_r($response);

Send a rich card with an image and action button:

curl -X POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/messages/rcs \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "your_rcs_agent_id",
    "to": "+15559876543",
    "messaging_profile_id": "your_messaging_profile_id",
    "agent_message": {
      "content_message": {
        "rich_card": {
          "standalone_card": {
            "card_orientation": "VERTICAL",
            "thumbnail_image_alignment": "LEFT",
            "card_content": {
              "title": "Welcome to Telnyx",
              "description": "Experience rich messaging with RCS",
              "media": {
                "height": "MEDIUM",
                "content_info": {
                  "file_url": "https://example.com/image.jpg"
                }
              },
              "suggestions": [
                {
                  "action": {
                    "text": "Learn More",
                    "postback_data": "learn_more_clicked",
                    "open_url_action": {
                      "url": "https://telnyx.com"
                    }
                  }
                }
              ]
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }'

import Telnyx from 'telnyx';

const client = new Telnyx({
  apiKey: process.env['TELNYX_API_KEY'],
});

const response = await client.messages.rcs.send({
  agent_id: 'your_rcs_agent_id',
  to: '+15559876543',
  messaging_profile_id: 'your_messaging_profile_id',
  agent_message: {
    content_message: {
      rich_card: {
        standalone_card: {
          card_orientation: 'VERTICAL',
          thumbnail_image_alignment: 'LEFT',
          card_content: {
            title: 'Welcome to Telnyx',
            description: 'Experience rich messaging with RCS',
            media: {
              height: 'MEDIUM',
              content_info: {
                file_url: 'https://example.com/image.jpg'
              }
            },
            suggestions: [
              {
                action: {
                  text: 'Learn More',
                  postback_data: 'learn_more_clicked',
                  open_url_action: {
                    url: 'https://telnyx.com'
                  }
                }
              }
            ]
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
});

console.log(response.data);

import os
from telnyx import Telnyx

client = Telnyx(
    api_key=os.environ.get("TELNYX_API_KEY"),
)

response = client.messages.rcs.send(
    agent_id="your_rcs_agent_id",
    to="+15559876543",
    messaging_profile_id="your_messaging_profile_id",
    agent_message={
        "content_message": {
            "rich_card": {
                "standalone_card": {
                    "card_orientation": "VERTICAL",
                    "thumbnail_image_alignment": "LEFT",
                    "card_content": {
                        "title": "Welcome to Telnyx",
                        "description": "Experience rich messaging with RCS",
                        "media": {
                            "height": "MEDIUM",
                            "content_info": {
                                "file_url": "https://example.com/image.jpg"
                            }
                        },
                        "suggestions": [
                            {
                                "action": {
                                    "text": "Learn More",
                                    "postback_data": "learn_more_clicked",
                                    "open_url_action": {
                                        "url": "https://telnyx.com"
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        ]
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
)

print(response.data)

Media URLs must be publicly accessible. Supported formats include JPEG, PNG, and GIF for images.

Add suggested reply buttons for quick customer responses:

curl -X POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/messages/rcs \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "your_rcs_agent_id",
    "to": "+15559876543",
    "messaging_profile_id": "your_messaging_profile_id",
    "agent_message": {
      "content_message": {
        "text": "How would you rate your experience?",
        "suggestions": [
          {
            "reply": {
              "text": "Great!",
              "postback_data": "rating_great"
            }
          },
          {
            "reply": {
              "text": "Good",
              "postback_data": "rating_good"
            }
          },
          {
            "reply": {
              "text": "Could be better",
              "postback_data": "rating_poor"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }'

import Telnyx from 'telnyx';

const client = new Telnyx({
  apiKey: process.env['TELNYX_API_KEY'],
});

const response = await client.messages.rcs.send({
  agent_id: 'your_rcs_agent_id',
  to: '+15559876543',
  messaging_profile_id: 'your_messaging_profile_id',
  agent_message: {
    content_message: {
      text: 'How would you rate your experience?',
      suggestions: [
        {
          reply: {
            text: 'Great!',
            postback_data: 'rating_great'
          }
        },
        {
          reply: {
            text: 'Good',
            postback_data: 'rating_good'
          }
        },
        {
          reply: {
            text: 'Could be better',
            postback_data: 'rating_poor'
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
});

console.log(response.data);

import os
from telnyx import Telnyx

client = Telnyx(
    api_key=os.environ.get("TELNYX_API_KEY"),
)

response = client.messages.rcs.send(
    agent_id="your_rcs_agent_id",
    to="+15559876543",
    messaging_profile_id="your_messaging_profile_id",
    agent_message={
        "content_message": {
            "text": "How would you rate your experience?",
            "suggestions": [
                {
                    "reply": {
                        "text": "Great!",
                        "postback_data": "rating_great"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "reply": {
                        "text": "Good",
                        "postback_data": "rating_good"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "reply": {
                        "text": "Could be better",
                        "postback_data": "rating_poor"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    }
)

print(response.data)

Response

A successful response looks like this:

{
  "data": {
    "record_type": "message",
    "direction": "outbound",
    "id": "40319c33-f083-4d2a-a433-a91983b41be5",
    "type": "RCS",
    "messaging_profile_id": "400199c4-6145-43d2-a471-4c459220fcae",
    "from": {
      "agent_id": "your_rcs_agent_id",
      "carrier": "Telnyx",
      "agent_name": "Your Brand"
    },
    "to": [
      {
        "phone_number": "+15559876543",
        "status": "queued",
        "carrier": "T-MOBILE USA, INC.",
        "line_type": "Wireless"
      }
    ],
    "encoding": "utf-8",
    "parts": 1,
    "rcs_message_category": "basic_message"
  }
}

4. Handle incoming messages

Set up a webhook to receive customer replies. See Receiving RCS Webhooks for details.

RCS vs SMS comparison

Feature	RCS	SMS
Rich media	✅ Images, video, files	❌ Text only (MMS for media)
Interactive buttons	✅ Suggested replies & actions	❌
Read receipts	✅	❌
Typing indicators	✅	❌
Branding	✅ Logo, colors, verified sender	❌
Character limit	None	160 (GSM-7)
Carrier registration	Required	10DLC/Toll-free required

Next steps

RCS with AI Assistant

Add AI-powered responses to your RCS agent

RCS Webhooks

Handle incoming RCS messages

RCS Capabilities

Check if a number supports RCS

API Reference

Explore all RCS parameters

Getting Started

RCS Brands API

RCS Agents API

Sending Messages

Receiving Messages

RCS API

For AI Agents

RCS Getting Started

What is RCS?

Prerequisites

Approval process

1. Create a Messaging Profile

2. Get your API key

3. Send an RCS message

Response

4. Handle incoming messages

RCS vs SMS comparison

Next steps

RCS with AI Assistant

RCS Webhooks

RCS Capabilities

API Reference

​What is RCS?

​Prerequisites

​Approval process

​1. Create a Messaging Profile

​2. Get your API key

​3. Send an RCS message

​Response

​4. Handle incoming messages

​RCS vs SMS comparison

​Next steps

RCS with AI Assistant

RCS Webhooks

RCS Capabilities

API Reference

What is RCS?

Prerequisites

Approval process

1. Create a Messaging Profile

2. Get your API key

3. Send an RCS message

Response

4. Handle incoming messages

RCS vs SMS comparison

Next steps