1. From SMS to RCS: the 2025 momentum of a reinvented channel
RCS (Rich Communication Services) has emerged as the natural and complementary evolution to SMS and MMS, combining the simplicity of text messaging with the interactive richness of instant messaging apps.
Messaging is entering a new era — more visual, interactive, and data-driven. Analysts agree that RCS will progressively complement the use of SMS in many use cases, as it delivers significantly better click-through, response, and engagement rates than traditional SMS, email, or standard apps.
Launched in 2017 by Google and telecom operators, this universal protocol initially saw gradual adoption, slowed by the absence of Apple’s participation. Since the iOS 18.4 update, rolled out in early 2024, iPhone users can now — if the feature is enabled — exchange RCS messages via the native Messages app.
This marks a historic turning point: RCS is now a true cross-platform channel, available on both Android and iOS.
According to Juniper Research – Beyond the Apple Hype: Growing RCS in 2025, Apple’s adoption is the main catalyst behind a +500% global growth in RCS Business Messaging revenue between 2024 and 2025.
Within a few months in 2025, the ecosystem has matured rapidly. The global RCS infrastructure has reached a new stage of development, powered by Google, Apple, and all major mobile operators, jointly shaping the new standard of rich messaging.
2. A native, fluid, and interactive experience
RCS is built on a standard protocol operated via the Google RBM (Rich Business Messaging) platform. Unlike OTT messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Messenger, no external app installation is required — RCS is natively integrated into the phone’s messaging app and functions seamlessly via Wi-Fi or mobile data, with no cost to the end user.
Beyond technology, it’s the conversational and premium experience that truly makes the difference. With its modern, interactive interface, RCS generates more clicks and responses than traditional SMS or email. It offers a rich, visual, and conversational experience, featuring images, carousels, rich cards, and intuitive action buttons.
RCS also adopts familiar social messaging codes: read receipts, typing indicators, and real-time exchanges. The user experiences a natural, personal-feeling conversation.
Customer engagement is reinforced: verified sender identities, multimedia messages, and call-to-action buttons build trust and enhance UX — all within a secure operator environment that mirrors the look and feel of web pages or apps directly inside the native messaging app.
As a premium, high-value channel, RCS allows brands to design dynamic, immersive communications, personalized to context and user preference. All interaction data — opens, clicks, and responses — are measurable, offering a clear view of performance.
At Digital Virgo, we believe RCS will become the next-generation messaging standard for customer communication — a richer, more interactive, and trusted channel, serving brands, operators, and users alike, across brand engagement, marketing automation, and e-commerce.
RCS stands as an interesting additional core channel, offering a valuable lever to strengthen multichannel strategies, with SMS fallback always ensuring full reach and continuity for all users and enabling brands to maintain seamless communication at scale.
And this innovation can only reach its full potential if telecom operators worldwide continue its adoption, ensuring global interoperability and large-scale deployment.
3. A fast-growing global adoption
In 2025, RCS entered a new phase of democratization. The combined efforts of Google, the growing number of onboarded telecom operators, and Apple’s integration have turned RCS Business Messaging into a global communication channel supported by an increasingly unified ecosystem.
The RCS Business Messaging service is now available in 57 countries, powered by Google’s international technology and deployed locally by operators (source: Google, December 2025).
Countries where RCS Business Messaging service is powered by Google RBM platform (Data : Google – Dec 2025)
This rapid expansion over recent months signals the first signs of model’s maturity: after a decade of experimentation, RCS has moved beyond the technical realm to become the potential global standard for rich mobile messaging.
In France, for instance, the momentum is particularly strong. Since the iOS 18.4 update (March 2025), all four national operators — Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Free — have integrated RCS technology via the Google RBM platform. Some limitations persist on iOS (no interactive carousels, quick replies, or rich cards yet), but coverage is already widespread.
According to AF2M (French Association for the Development of Multimedia Multi-Operator Services), based on Q4 2025 data, France closed 2025 with over 50 million RCS-compatible smartphones, up from 28.3 million a year earlier — a +76.6% increase.
AF2M also reports that national RCS coverage reached 83%, close to the expected 85% threshold, surpassing OTT messengers such as WhatsApp or Messenger.
France, like other markets, stands out for the growing number of brands seeing RCS as a strategic communication and commerce channel. By Q4 2025, 421 brands had adopted RCS for Business in France — 2.5× more than in 2024 — driving an overall 75% increase in campaign volume. A third of these brands are new advertisers drawn by the channel’s reliability and quality of experience.
Global forecasts confirm this trend:
RCS traffic is projected to grow from 1.5 trillion messages in 2024 to 6 trillion in 2029 (Infobip, 2024). The global market value, which was expected to reach USD 2.87 billion in 2025, is projected to reach USD 8.89 billion by 2030, reflecting a 25.37% CAGR (Mordor Intelligence, 2025).
4. An enriched channel serving the customer experience
RCS is transforming how brands interact with their audiences. Each message becomes a true interactive space, combining text, images, videos, rich cards, carousels, and action buttons. Users can view a product, click for more information, or reply instantly — all within their native messaging app.
This seamless experience enhances brand perception and builds trust: the verified logo and sender name reassure users, while enriched content sparks curiosity and drives conversion. The possibility of embedding conversational AI — through chatbots and automated flows — is also a game changer for both brands and users. It enables better refinement of customer intent, smoother interactions, and more relevant, personalized exchanges. Digital Virgo, for instance, combines the capabilities of acting as a direct RBM aggregator with its expertise in RCS chatbots, allowing brands to refine user intent through carefully designed conversational scenarios.
RCS is also an interesting channel to get statistical insights about user behavior and intent, providing granular data on delivery, read, click, and response rates, along with advanced analytics such as journey drop-offs, hourly interaction volumes, and agent reputation scoring, enabling brands to optimize their conversational flows with precision.
The benefits are tangible: for brands, RCS accelerates customer acquisition, strengthens engagement, and fosters continuous relationships.
It’s an approach where interactivity meets performance — more clicks, faster responses, and a consistent, measurable brand experience.
5. RCS for Business: growing opportunities for brands
The adoption of RCS marks a profound shift in business messaging. Brands now have an additional powerful tool, particularly relevant for enriched, conversational communication — immersive marketing campaigns, dynamic notifications, and instant consumer interactions.
RCS for Business enables dynamic, contextual, and engaging content to be delivered directly to users’ smartphones within a secure, verified environment.
Main use cases include:
- Interactive marketing campaigns with personalized messages and integrated call-to-action buttons.
- Enriched notifications for recovering abandoned carts, encouraging account creation, or offering discounts on future orders.
- Automated or assisted customer conversations for support or after-sales.
- Community engagement through contests, referrals, or partnerships.
With average conversion rates between 20% and 40% (CM.com / MessageFlow – RCS Messaging Overview), RCS significantly outperforms traditional SMS.
Thanks to verified sender IDs, multimedia messages, and action buttons, it inspires trust and deepens user engagement.
As a premium, measurable, and engaging channel, RCS has become a strategic tool for brands seeking both performance and quality interactions.
Naturally, its growing global adoption makes it a cornerstone of digital communication strategies, from acquisition to loyalty.
Ultimately, RCS is paving the way for fully integrated transactional interactions, where purchases or bookings happen directly within the conversation.
A fluid, high-performing, and future-ready channel, RCS is already preparing the rise of conversational commerce, including RCS for Payments — a world where communication, customer relations, and transactions converge into one seamless experience.
6. 2025: the takeoff year for RCS Business Messaging, paving the way for 2026
Since its launch in 2017, RCS has been steadily fulfilling its promise: creating a universal, secure, and interactive channel capable of uniting Google, operators, manufacturers, and brands under a shared experience.
With Apple’s arrival, the integration of Google Wallet and the growth of enriched features, RCS is evolving into a true relationship channel.
Alternative payment methods — DCB, wallets, and integrated solutions — are now mature payment rails, laying the groundwork for making this channel truly transactional. The challenge ultimately lies in embedding payments directly within conversations, with no redirections, to ensure optimal conversion rates.
Acting both as an RCS implementation and deployment partner and a licensed payment enabler, Digital Virgo serves as a single partner for brands seeking to cover both RCS and payment needs.
By combining its expertise to power seamless, user-centric transactional flows and digital experiences, Digital Virgo is already supporting its partners in unlocking the full potential of RCS for Payments — bridging communication, interaction, and payment within one unified experience and a single conversational flow.
2025 stood as the takeoff year for RCS Business Messaging: it is now the foundation of modern messaging — a conversation-driven, engaging, and measurable medium meeting user expectations for immediacy, trust, and simplicity.
2026 will be a decisive year — one where innovation, interoperability, and adoption converge to unlock the full potential of RCS. One of the main challenges ahead will be scaling globally, a process Digital Virgo actively supports by helping telecom operators capture the RCS momentum and achieve successful worldwide deployment, while enabling all key ecosystem players to transition to the Next Generation of Rich Messaging Experiences.
Moving forward, we will then explore how RCS is shaping the future of business communication and digital transactions across key innovation areas and scalable use cases — from omnichannel messaging to conversational commerce.
