Guide for Sending RCS Messages to the United States

General Guidelines and Deliverability

RCS Agent Requirements

RCS agent onboarding in the US currently follows Short Code-level standards. The sender and business must satisfy CTIA guidelines for opt-in, privacy policies, and terms of service. You must also provide a video of RCS agent functionality.

Call to Action (CTA) and Opt-In

When submitting consent information, provide a detailed explanation of how consent is collected including screenshots of the exact user steps to verify the appropriate consent level, clear program disclosures, and direct links to your terms and conditions and privacy policy.

Privacy Policy Requirements

The Privacy Policy must explicitly state that messaging originator data is protected. For example, "All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information won’t be shared with any third parties."

Terms of Service Requirements

Include these details in your Terms of Service.

• Program name and description
• A statement that "Message and data rates may apply."
• The expected number of messages a user receives
• Functional HELP and STOP instructions
• A statement that carriers aren’t liable for any delayed or undelivered messages

RCS Messaging Video Requirements

When requesting your RCS agent, provide visual proof of your RCS setup and include these details.

• Supply a unique, recognizable, and descriptive display name up to 40 characters.
• Provide a clear agent description up to 100 characters detailing what the user should expect, avoiding slogans or marketing taglines.
• Provide a public URL to a video recording of your live RCS messaging flow demonstrating your interaction framework, such as suggestions and buttons, for carrier compliance verification. The recording must capture the opt-in process, initial opt-in confirmation message, and automatic responses triggered by both the HELP and STOP keywords.

Shopping Notification Requirements

If your agent sends shopping cart reminders, your terms and conditions and privacy policy must explicitly mention shopping cart notifications. Explain how user information is collected and used. For example, "We use cookies to track web activity and items placed in your cart to send personalized notifications."

Prohibited Content

Carriers can prohibit messaging with the listed content:

• Content related to sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco (SHAFT)
• Content relating to illegal substances, including cannabis and cannabis-related products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), vaping products or devices, marijuana or cannabis, or dispensaries
• SPAM, fraud, phishing
• Lead-generation programs
• Deceptive programs
• High-risk financial services, such as payday loans, short-term loans, third-party home and auto loans, student loans, and debt collection
• Debt forgiveness, debt consolidation, debt reduction, and credit repair programs
• Illegal prescriptions or drug endorsements
• Work and investment opportunities, such as work-from-home programs, job alerts from third-party recruiting firms, and risk investment opportunities
• Carrier competitive promotions
• Fraudulent or misleading messages
• Gambling
• Profanity
• Depictions or endorsement of violence
• Lead generation indicating the sharing of collected information with third parties

Restricted Content

• Donations and pledges are permitted only with compliant opt-in and zero political affiliations.
• Traditional third-party debt collection is barred. Payment reminders from the direct owner of the debt are acceptable if they use first-party opt-in and contain zero debt collection jargon.

Best Practice and Compliance References

• WMC Global Resources for the United States, including the CTIA Short Code Monitoring Handbook
• Mobile Marketing Association U.S. Consumer Best Practices for Messaging