# RCS

> RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the carrier-backed successor to SMS with images, buttons and read receipts; it needs data, a compatible phone and operator support, so SMS remains the fallback.

RCS adds chat features to the operator messaging channel: rich media, suggested replies, typing indicators, verified sender profiles. Business messaging over RCS requires the recipient's phone and operator to support it, a data connection, and a sender registration with the platform that verifies brands.

Coverage is uneven across countries and handsets, and the sender verification is a heavier process than any SMS sender rule. In practice, RCS campaigns fall back to SMS for every recipient who cannot receive them, which is why the SMS route still decides the delivery rate.

At SMSMeteor: the product is SMS; there is no RCS channel, and no registration needed to send.

Related terms: [SMS (Short Message Service)](https://smsmeteor.com/glossary/sms), [A2P SMS](https://smsmeteor.com/glossary/a2p-sms)

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Source: https://smsmeteor.com/glossary/rcs (HTML). Generated by SMSMeteor from the same data as the page. Summary of the whole site: https://smsmeteor.com/llms.txt