How to send an RCS message in a one-on-one conversation

Learn how to open an RCS conversation and build a rich card, carousel, or text message for a one-on-one chat.

Once your RCS channel is active, you can start individual conversations just like you would on WhatsApp. This guide walks you through opening a chat and building each type of RCS message.

Step 1: Open the conversation Go to Chats, click New → New Chat, and enter the customer’s phone number with the country code (for example, +91 for India). Under Send message via, select your RCS channel. If another channel is already selected, click Change and choose RCS. Then click Start Chat. The conversation will open just like a WhatsApp chat.

Step 2: Choose your message type Inside the conversation, click the attachment (paperclip) icon to choose the type of content you'd like to send. RCS supports three message types.

Rich card Combines media, text, and interactive buttons into a single card. Best for highlighting one product, offer, or announcement with a clear call-to-action button.

Optional image, video, or PDF
Card orientation (vertical or horizontal)
Title (up to 200 characters)
Description (up to 2000 characters)
Up to 4 buttons

Media limits: images up to 5 MB (JPEG/PNG), videos up to 16 MB (MP4), and PDFs up to 100 MB.

Carousel Displays multiple rich cards that customers can swipe through. Best for showcasing several products or options customers can browse.

Choose small or medium card width
Add 2 to 10 cards
Configure each card with optional media, a title, and a description
Title (up to 200 characters)
Description (up to 2000 characters)
Up to 4 buttons

Media limits: images up to 5 MB (JPEG/PNG), videos up to 16 MB (MP4), and PDFs up to 100 MB.

Step 3: Add buttons (rich card and carousel only)

Rich cards and carousel cards support several interactive button types. Each one gives your customer a different way to respond or take action.

Quick reply — the customer taps to send a predefined reply. Required: button label (maximum 25 characters).
Open URL — opens a website. Required: button label, destination URL. Optional: open inside WebView.
Dial number — starts a phone call. Required: button label, phone number.
View location — opens a map showing a predefined location. Required: button label, latitude, longitude.
Request location — prompts the customer to share their live location. No additional fields required.
Calendar event — lets the customer save an event to their phone's calendar. Required: button label, event title, start date & time, end date & time. Optional: event description.

Step 4: Send the message

Once your message is ready, send it just like any other chat message.

RCS only works on Android devices with RCS enabled. If the recipient is using an iPhone or has RCS disabled, the message can't be delivered, and you'll see this error: "RCS is not supported on the recipient's device. This typically happens when the user is on an iPhone or has RCS disabled on their Android device."

Want to reach a whole list at once instead? See how to broadcast an RCS message.

Key takeaways

Start an RCS chat the same way you'd start a WhatsApp chat, selecting your RCS channel under Send message via.
You can send a rich card or carousel, both with up to 4 interactive buttons.
Rich cards and carousels follow the same media limits: images up to 5 MB, videos up to 16 MB, PDFs up to 100 MB.
Messages can only be delivered to Android devices with RCS enabled.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open an RCS conversation? Go to Chats, click New → New Chat, enter the customer's number, select your RCS channel under Send message via, and click Start Chat.

What message types can I send in a one-on-one RCS chat? Rich cards and carousels, each with optional media, text, and up to 4 interactive buttons.

How many buttons can a rich card have? Up to 4, chosen from types like quick reply, open URL, dial number, view location, request location, and calendar event.

What are the media limits for RCS messages? Images up to 5 MB (JPEG/PNG), videos up to 16 MB (MP4), and PDFs up to 100 MB.

Why isn't my RCS message delivering to a customer? The recipient is likely on iPhone or has RCS disabled on their Android device — RCS only delivers to Android devices with RCS enabled.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions

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