Stop Getting Ignored. Upgrade to Verified RCS Messaging

RCS builds on SMS with capabilities SMS can't support. SMS delivers 160-character text messages reliably across every phone; RCS adds rich media (images, videos, carousels), interactive buttons ("Call Now," "Book Appointment," "Pay Bill"), verified sender identity with your business logo and checkmark, and detailed analytics including open rates and click tracking. Both channels work together — if a recipient doesn't have RCS enabled, the message automatically falls back to SMS, so you never miss a delivery.

Yes. Apple added RCS support with iOS 18 in September 2024. iPhones running iOS 18 or later on a supported carrier can send and receive RCS messages natively in the Messages app. This is what makes RCS finally viable for business — before iOS 18, RCS only reached Android users (about half the U.S. market). Now it covers virtually all smartphones. If a recipient is on an older iPhone or has RCS disabled, your message automatically delivers as SMS instead.

SMS sends plain text up to 160 characters. MMS adds basic media support (a single image or short video) but with degraded quality, limited interactivity, and per-message carrier fees. RCS adds high-resolution media, interactive buttons, branded sender identity, read receipts, and analytics — and it's delivered over the carrier's data network rather than the legacy SMS network. For most business use cases (appointment reminders, sales outreach, customer support), RCS is now the recommended channel when the recipient supports it, with SMS as the automatic fallback.

RCS pricing varies by carrier and message type, but it's generally priced like A2P SMS messaging — per-message rates, often with discounts at volume. Aloware bundles RCS into the standard $30 per agent per month plan, with RCS available as an add-on across all tiers. There's no separate platform fee beyond standard messaging costs, and brand verification (required to send branded RCS) is handled by Aloware as part of onboarding. Most teams see RCS unit economics improve over SMS because the higher response and conversion rates (up to 45% conversion vs SMS's typical 2–3%) more than offset the slightly higher per-message cost.

A typical business RCS message includes your verified business name and logo at the top, the message body, and one or more interactive buttons. Example: a real estate firm sends a branded message with a carousel of three property photos, a "Schedule Viewing" button that opens the agent's calendar, and a "Send Me More Listings" button that triggers a CRM workflow. Or: a healthcare practice sends an appointment reminder with the appointment time, a map button for directions, and one-tap "Confirm" / "Reschedule" / "Cancel" options. The recipient sees and interacts with all of it inside their native Messages app — no app download, no link to an external site.

Yes. Aloware's RCS is built into the same platform as the calling, SMS, and contact center products, so it syncs natively with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, GoHighLevel, and any tool connected via Zapier or API. Sent messages, button taps, replies, and analytics all flow into the contact record automatically — so an RCS campaign can trigger CRM workflows, and CRM data (lead score, lifecycle stage, owner) can route the right RCS template to the right contact. Unlike standalone RCS tools, you don't need a separate login or middleware integration.

RCS gives you per-message analytics that SMS simply can't deliver: delivery confirmations, read receipts (you can see when the recipient opened the message, not just when it landed on their phone), per-button click tracking (which button each recipient tapped), and aggregate engagement rates across campaigns. Aloware surfaces all of this in the same reporting dashboard as your calls and SMS, so you can compare channel performance side-by-side and route hot leads (people who tapped "I'm Interested") to your team in real time.

A2P 10DLC registration is required for SMS sent over US carriers, but RCS uses a separate verification track — RCS Business Messaging (RBM) brand verification through Google. Aloware handles both: A2P 10DLC for your SMS fallback, RBM verification for your branded RCS sender profile. The RBM verification is what unlocks the verified checkmark, your business logo, and the brand color on every message you send. Both can be set up in parallel during onboarding, and Aloware shepherds the documentation submission so you don't have to navigate carrier and Google processes separately.

Yes, and it's increasingly the differentiator for local businesses competing against larger players. RCS gives a single-location dental office, real estate agent, home services contractor, or restaurant the same branded, verified messaging experience as a Fortune 500 retailer — your logo on every message, "Book Now" and "Get Directions" buttons inline, no clickout to a website. Aloware's RCS pricing and onboarding are sized for small business volumes, with the same $30/agent/month base plan and no enterprise-tier minimums. The 88% increased engagement that comes with verified branding hits hardest for local businesses where trust is the deciding factor.