Technical specifications of the RCS service
1. General Specificity
The subscriber is charged for all correctly delivered messages of the types: basic, single message, and initiated 24-hour RCS chat windows.
2. RCS Definition
Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a modern mobile communication standard that extends the capabilities of traditional SMS and MMS messages. It allows for the sending of high-quality photos and videos, group chats, file sharing, and offers features such as read receipts and real-time typing indicators.
Through integration with a phone number, RCS works natively on devices that support this technology, eliminating the need for additional apps. GSM operators using the Google RBM platform and Mavenir have the ability to implement this solution in A2P (Application-to-Person) and P2A (Person-to-Application) models, ensuring direct and interactive communication between brands and customers.
3. RCS Agents
RCS Agents are automated communication units that allow for user interactions. There are two main types of agents:
Conversational Agent: For agents conducting multi-step conversations with users.
Non-conversational Agent: For agents sending messages without expecting frequent replies.
4. Test SMS Sending
Before the production launch of an Agent, it is possible to send messages from the Google test Agent. To use a device (smartphone) as a test device, it must support the RCS service. Note that on some Android devices, the RCS feature is not enabled by default. The status of the RCS service on the device can be checked in the Messages app by going to settings and the "Chat Features" section. If the status shows "Connected," RCS is active. Otherwise, it may be necessary to enable this feature through the Messages app and operator services configuration.
Once confirmed that the device supports RCS, test messages can be sent to it, but the first message sent by the Agent will be an invitation to test. After the user accepts the request, the device will be able to receive and respond to messages from the Agent. In test mode, up to 20 test requests can be sent daily, and the total number of active requests cannot exceed 200.
5. Types and Components of RCS Messages
RCS Agents enable interaction with users by sending and receiving various types of messages.
The types of RCS messages and their specifications for incoming and outgoing messages may vary slightly depending on the RCS technology provider. The specification described below is standardized for two RCS technology providers in Poland, i.e., Orange and T-Mobile Polska.
Types and Components of Messages with Technical Specification
RCS Basic / Lite A basic message containing up to 160 UTF8 characters (emoji counted as 2 characters), which cannot include suggestions, only plain text.
RCS Single Message A single message containing the capabilities of RCS Basic / Lite, along with the ability to send video files, high-quality images, and image carousels. This type of message also includes interactive CTA buttons.
The following components are present in an RCS Single Message:
Single Text Text in a card: 1000 UTF8 characters (emoji counted as 2) Card suggestions: max 4 General suggestions: max 11
Video or Graphic File Message with multimedia (video/graphic/PDF) without suggestions inside the card Maximum file size: 20MB. Video aspect ratio 16:9, 9:16 Supported formats: Images (GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG), Video (h263, m4v, mp4, mpeg, mpeg4, webm), Document (pdf).
Rich Card - Single Card
Card Specification: title 100 characters, description 1000 characters, card suggestions (CTA): max 4, general suggestions: max 11
Supported formats:
Images (GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG), recommended max size: 4MB
Video max 5MB (h263, m4v, mp4, mpeg, mpeg4, webm)
PDF Document recommended max 5MB
Suggested resolutions: When sending multimedia to a user, consider their resources. For horizontal multimedia with an aspect ratio of 2:1, 16:9, or 7:3, the optimal resolution is 770 x 335 pixels with a recommended file size of 40 kB and a maximum file size of 100 kB.
Important: Due to varying devices, content and logos that need to be visible on the phone screen should be positioned:
35 px from the bottom edge
35 px from the top edge
100 px from the right edge
100 px from the left edge
d. Information Card Carousel
Maximum number of cards in the carousel: 4
Card Specification in Carousel: title 100 characters, description 1000 characters, card suggestions (CTA): max 4, general suggestions: max 11
Suggested specification for carousel cards: title 24 characters, description 77 characters, card suggestions (CTA): 1, general suggestions: max 6, files (JPG, JPEG, PNG).
Suggested resolutions: Information card carousels display horizontal multimedia at the top of the cards. Multimedia elements in the carousel should have a 4:3 aspect ratio. When sending multimedia to a user, consider their resources. For multimedia with a 4:3 aspect ratio, the optimal resolution is 605 x 452 pixels with a recommended file size of 40 kB and a maximum file size of 100 kB.
Important: Due to varying devices, content that needs to be visible on the phone should be positioned:
85 px from the bottom edge
90 px from the top edge
75 px from the right edge
75 px from the left edge
e. Audio Message
Maximum file size: 20MB.
Supported formats: MP3, WAV.
f. Map
Title: 100 characters
Latitude: GPS coordinates in the format xx.xxxxxxx, e.g., 50.0904966
Longitude: GPS coordinates in the format xx.xxxxxxx, e.g., 18.5803288
g. General Suggestions
Amount: max 11
h. Bottom Button Suggestions
Amount: max 11
The list of suggestions can contain 11 entries.
The number of characters in each suggestion: 25 characters.
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