RCS API for business messaging

Send your first RCS message from code

One authenticated request sends a rich message. Authenticate with your API key in the X-API-Key header, post the destination number and a body, and attach chips either as plain-text suggested_replies on a text send, or inside the card payload on a rich send.

curl -X POST https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/messages/rcs \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ORBIT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "+14155552671",
    "body": "Your order #12345 has shipped!",
    "suggested_replies": [
      { "action": { "text": "Track Order", "open_url": { "url": "https://example.com/track/12345" } } },
      { "reply": { "text": "Contact Support", "postback_data": "contact_support" } }
    ]
  }'

A standalone rich card — image, title, description, and action buttons in a single message:

curl -X POST https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/messages/rcs \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ORBIT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "+14155552671",
    "rich_card": {
      "card_content": {
        "title": "Nike Air Max 90",
        "description": "$129.99 — Free shipping on orders over $50",
        "media": {
          "height": "MEDIUM",
          "content_info": { "file_url": "https://example.com/images/shoe.jpg" }
        }
      },
      "suggestions": [
        { "action": { "text": "Buy Now", "open_url": { "url": "https://example.com/buy/shoe" } } },
        { "reply": { "text": "More Details", "postback_data": "details_air_max_90" } }
      ]
    }
  }'

Text, rich card, and carousel are mutually exclusive message shapes — the chips belong inside the card payload on a rich send. Delivery, read, and click events post to your webhook in the same shape as every other channel.

What the Orbit RCS API does

RCS vs SMS vs WhatsApp — where each channel fits

• SMS — the floor

  Every handset on earth, plain text, no branding. Use it as the fallback channel every program still needs, and the minimum viable reach guarantee.

• RCS — the upgrade

  Verified branding, rich cards, and chips in the default messaging app on Android, with carrier verification rather than a separate business-account install. Capable handsets get the upgrade; the rest fall through to SMS.

• WhatsApp — the install base

  Rich, branded, two-way messaging to the installed WhatsApp user base, onboarded through the WhatsApp Business Platform. Both run behind Orbit's one API — pick the channel per market, not per vendor.

For the detailed evaluation, see RCS vs WhatsApp for business messaging and the RCS launch checklist.

Built for rich business messaging

• Order & delivery notifications

  Ship a branded order confirmation with a Track Order action chip and a Contact Support reply, and let the click and read receipts tell you which recipients engaged — no app install required.

• Product carousels & commerce

  Card 2–10 products into a carousel with a Buy Now chip per card and a message-level checkout chip. The same product catalog also feeds WhatsApp, so the catalog connect is done once for both channels.

• Appointment reminders with actions

  Send a reminder with Confirm and Reschedule chips and fall back to SMS automatically for recipients whose devices cannot receive RCS — the message still lands, on the channel the device supports.

• Marketing campaigns over verified branding

  Send rich promotions under your verified business name and brand color — the presentation layer that makes a marketing message look trusted — and measure template-level delivery, read, and click rates.

Orbit vs Infobip vs Twilio vs Sinch for RCS

Comparison data as of Q3 2026. Competitor feature details sourced from public vendor documentation, G2, and Gartner Peer Insights. Subject to change at the vendor's discretion. Yes Partial No

RCS API — frequently asked

What is RCS for Business?

RCS (Rich Communication Services) for Business is the carrier-backed upgrade to SMS on the GSMA Universal Profile. It adds a verified, branded sender, rich cards and carousels, suggested replies, and read receipts, delivered to the native messaging app — with automatic SMS fallback for devices that cannot receive RCS.

Does RCS fall back to SMS?

Yes, with a provider that supports it. When a recipient's device or network cannot receive an RCS message, Orbit falls back to SMS automatically so the message still lands, and you are billed for the channel actually used.

How do I send my first RCS message from code?

Make a single authenticated POST to /api/v1/messages/rcs with the destination number and a body — or a rich_card or rich_card_carousel payload — using your API key in the X-API-Key header. You can preview the rich payload on a tester device before your agent is launched, and a public tester-account flow lets you try it on one handset before you register a brand at all.

How do I become a verified RCS sender?

Register a brand in the dashboard or over the API, create the agent (bot) on that brand, submit the carrier verification evidence (conversation screenshots and KYC documents), and launch. The brand and agent travel to the carrier gateway in one combined registration, and carriers typically adjudicate in 3–5 business days. Until a carrier launch lands, an unlaunched agent can still message registered tester devices.

What happens when a recipient cannot receive RCS?

Orbit checks per-recipient capability before the send — from its 24-hour capability cache or a live probe. A not-capable recipient short-circuits the RCS send; if you have the org-level fallback chain enabled (RCS → SMS, or a longer chain), the same message body is retried on the next channel, with the SMS opt-out and do-not-call check re-run before it is delivered there. Without a chain the send fails closed with a delivery receipt you can read.

RCS vs WhatsApp — which should I use?

Both deliver rich, branded, two-way messaging; the difference is reach and onboarding. RCS renders in the recipient's default messaging app on Android with no separate install, and its onboarding path goes through carrier verification rather than a WhatsApp Business Account. Orbit ships both behind one API and one bill — evaluate them per market: the RCS reach checker tool estimates what share of a contact list can receive RCS before you commit a campaign.

How much does the Orbit RCS API cost?

Orbit is pay-as-you-go with no monthly platform fee: you pre-pay credits and pay only for what you send. RCS is published at $0.01 per message (US); volume rate cards are available on request.

Explore more

• Best RCS for Business Providers 2026
• RCS reach checker
• RCS vs WhatsApp for business messaging
• RCS launch checklist 2026
• SMS API
• WhatsApp Business API
• Programmable messaging
• Pay-as-you-go pricing