How RCS works in India
RCS messages reach customers through a chain of steps — sender verification, capability checking, delivery and, where needed, fallback. Here's exactly how that works for a business sending RCS in India.
A business sends a message through a verified RCS sender. The platform checks whether the recipient's device and network support RCS. If supported, the message is delivered as a rich, branded RCS message over the carrier network, such as Jio. If not supported, the message can fall back to SMS, where configured.
The message lifecycle, step by step
Every RCS business message — whether a promotion, an order update or an OTP — follows the same basic journey from your system to the customer's phone.
If any step along the way determines RCS isn't available — an unsupported device, no internet connection, or the agent not yet launched in that network — the platform can route the message to SMS instead, where fallback is configured. We'll walk through each step in detail below.
1. Sender verification
Before a business can send RCS messages, it needs an approved RCS agent — a verified business identity that carries a name, logo, brand colour and business information. This is what lets a customer see "Your Brand" with a verified badge, instead of an anonymous sender ID.
Setting this up generally involves submitting business details, brand assets, legal pages (privacy policy, terms) and sample messages for review. Approval is handled by the relevant operator and platform, and timelines vary by business and use case — they can't be guaranteed in advance.
We handle this process for you. See verified sender onboarding for the full walkthrough.
2. Capability checking
Not every phone number is reachable through RCS. Before — or during — delivery, the platform checks whether the recipient's number supports RCS, based on:
- Whether the device supports RCS
- Whether the carrier and network support RCS for that number
- Whether the customer's messaging app has RCS enabled
- Whether an internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data) is currently available
This process is commonly called a capability check or reachability check. It's part of the GSMA Universal Profile specification that underlies RCS, and it's what allows the platform to decide — automatically — whether to send rich RCS or fall back to SMS.
3. Delivery over the carrier network
Once capability is confirmed, the message is routed through RCS infrastructure to the recipient's mobile carrier — for example, Jio — and then to the customer's default messaging app, most commonly Google Messages on Android. The customer sees the rich card, carousel or text exactly as designed, under your verified business name.
This is also the point where delivery, and where supported, read events are generated and sent back to the platform's reporting dashboard.
4. The SMS fallback decision
RCS isn't guaranteed to reach every recipient. Where fallback is configured, the platform follows a simple decision at the capability-check stage:
Cards, carousels, buttons
Plain text, where configured
This means a single campaign can reach RCS-capable customers with the full rich experience, while everyone else still receives the message as SMS — preserving overall reach without requiring two separate campaigns. SMS fallback is only available where it's included in your configuration; it isn't automatic on every platform.
5. What's different about India
A few things are specific to running RCS in the Indian market:
Carrier connectivity
RCS delivery in India depends on the recipient's carrier supporting RCS for that number. Jio is a primary carrier connection used for RCS business messaging; actual reach should always be confirmed for your specific audience rather than assumed universal.
Compliance: RCS vs SMS fallback
This is a common point of confusion, so it's worth being precise:
| Channel | Compliance mechanism |
|---|---|
| RCS message | Verified sender onboarding (agent approval) + consent & opt-out |
| SMS fallback leg | DLT (TRAI) template registration + consent |
RCS itself does not use DLT. DLT/TRAI template registration is an SMS-specific requirement; it only becomes relevant for the SMS fallback portion of a campaign. We've written more on this distinction on our RCS business messaging page.
Consent and DND
Promotional RCS messages require valid customer consent and a clear opt-out path, in line with applicable Indian regulations and platform policy — the same principle that governs other commercial messaging channels.
FAQs
How does RCS work in India?
Does RCS use DLT in India?
Which carriers support RCS in India?
Does RCS work without an internet connection?
Related reading
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