Short answer
To start RCS Business Messaging with SMSTAKE, share company details, business verification documents (GST or Certificate of Incorporation/registration showing legal name and address), brand assets (name, description up to 100 characters, logo 224 × 224 px, banner 1440 × 448 px, support phone and email), and public privacy policy, terms and consent/opt-in details. Personal PAN and DLT registration are not required. SMSTAKE submits the bot for applicable brand verification and launch approval; your authorised representative may need to confirm details. Approval and timing are not guaranteed. Prepare and test messages after the applicable RCS setup/approval.
RCS and DLT are separate. RCS bot registration is separate from SMS DLT registration. A DLT registration or PE ID is not required for SMSTAKE’s RCS bot onboarding. RCS onboarding follows its own business verification and agent launch process. SMS fallback, if you add it, is a separate SMS service with its own DLT header and template rules—it does not make DLT a prerequisite for RCS registration.
1. Decide what the agent will be used for
Every RCS agent has a declared use case, chosen when it is created. Google lists four:
| Use case | Typical messages |
|---|---|
| OTP | One-time passwords only. |
| Transactional | Essential, time-sensitive updates about a customer's existing product or service, such as order and account alerts. |
| Promotional | Sales, marketing and offers to new or existing customers. |
| Multi-use | A mix of transactional and promotional messages, such as an account update followed by an offer. |
Write down which messages you plan to send, who will receive them, how those people agreed to hear from you, and what happens for customers whose phones or networks don't support RCS. Our RCS campaign examples can help you shortlist ideas.
2. Prepare your brand and agent information
Google requires this information before an agent can be submitted for verification and launch. Some items can't be changed after verification, so get them right first.
| Item | What to prepare |
|---|---|
| Agent name | Up to 40 characters. Can't be changed after verification. |
| Description | Up to 100 characters, shown to customers. |
| Logo | 224 x 224 px, up to 50 KB. Shown as a rounded square. Locked after verification. |
| Banner image | 1440 x 448 px, up to 200 KB. Locked after verification. |
| Brand colour | A hex colour, such as #0369A1. |
| Contact details | At least one labelled phone number, email address or website. |
| Privacy policy and terms | Working public links to both. |
| Business verification | GST certificate or Certificate of Incorporation/registration showing legal name and address. Personal PAN and DLT PE ID are not required for SMSTAKE RCS onboarding. |
| Brand contact | An employee with authority to confirm the agent details and your provider's right to manage the agent. |
Need commercial SMS as well (including optional RCS-to-SMS fallback)? That is a separate SMS DLT process. SMSTAKE offers free DLT registration support for SMS to any business, including non-customers. Operator DLT approval and any operator charges are decided by the relevant operator—not by SMSTAKE.
3. Plan consent, opt-out and SMS fallback
- Opt-out: Google's pre-launch tasks include a working STOP (opt-out) flow. Launch details also ask for the exact message your agent sends when someone opts out.
- Consent: decide how customers agree to receive your messages and keep a record, especially for promotional use.
- Fallback (optional, separate from RCS registration): customers without RCS won't receive the rich message. If you want them to get an SMS instead, configure SMS fallback as a separate SMS service. That SMS traffic needs a DLT-approved header and template. Those SMS DLT rules do not make DLT a prerequisite for registering or launching the RCS bot, and RCS messages do not use DLT-approved SMS templates.
4. Build and test with approved test phones
Until an agent is launched, it can only message designated test devices. A test phone must be RCS-enabled and must accept a tester invite. Test the full journey on the phones and networks your customers use: rich cards, every button, replies, opt-out and fallback.
Reviewers also need to see the agent in action. Google asks for a screen recording at a public link that matches the declared use case and shows the STOP flow working.
5. Brand verification
An authorised representative of your brand confirms the agent information and your provider's right to manage the agent. This information is submitted once per agent, before the first launch request. For launches managed by Google, the brand contact receives an email from Google asking them to approve the brand's use, and a prompt reply helps. Carriers that manage their own launches may contact the brand separately.
6. Launch approval by Google and/or carriers
A launch request is reviewed by Google, the carrier, or both, depending on the network:
- Carrier-managed launches: the carrier handles verification and approval, and may require a direct agreement before approving.
- Google-managed launches: Google handles verification and approval. In each country, the agent must first be launched on at least one carrier-managed network.
An agent can be approved, rejected or later suspended. Only after verification and launch can your messages show the verified brand name and logo on that network. We can't guarantee approval or give a fixed timeline, because each review is decided by Google and the carriers.
7. After launch
- Send to RCS-capable customers and route others to your fallback.
- Watch delivery and read events where the platform and device provide them, and handle opt-outs promptly.
- Keep your agent's use case, content and opt-out handling in line with what was approved.
Your onboarding checklist
- Company details: legal business name and address, contact person, phone, corporate email and website
- Business verification: GST certificate or Certificate of Incorporation/registration showing legal name and address (extra proof if either detail is missing)
- Not required for SMSTAKE RCS: personal PAN, DLT registration or PE ID
- Brand assets: name, description up to 100 characters, logo 224 × 224 px, banner 1440 × 448 px, support phone and email
- Public privacy policy and terms links, plus consent/opt-in details
- Use case chosen; message plan and STOP opt-out ready
- Authorised brand contact identified (may need to confirm details)
- SMSTAKE submits for applicable brand verification and launch approval (approval and timing not guaranteed)
- Prepare and test messages after applicable RCS setup/approval
- Optional: SMS fallback configured separately (SMS DLT rules apply only to that SMS service)
RCS with SMSTAKE
SMSTAKE provides RCS Business Messaging alongside Bulk SMS and WhatsApp Business API. Supported networks, pricing, delivery reporting and SMS fallback setup depend on your account and use case, and we confirm them with you during onboarding. See how RCS Business Messaging works with SMSTAKE.
Planning to start with RCS?
Talk to our team about your use case. We will go through what your agent needs, which networks are available for your account and how SMS fallback would be set up. Verification and launch decisions are made by Google and the mobile networks.
Discuss RCS OnboardingSources
Checked on 30 September 2026. Rules and prices change, so confirm current requirements with the official source before acting.
- Google for Developers - Build your first agent (use cases, billing category)
- Google for Developers - Edit agent information (images, description, privacy and terms)
- Google for Developers - Agent resource reference (field limits)
- Google for Developers - Set up a test device
- Google for Developers - Brand verification
- Google for Developers - Verify and launch your agent (Google-managed and carrier-managed launches)
- Google for Developers - Launch approval (pre-launch tasks)