Latest releases

This page provides information about the latest changes in RCS for Business.

November 13, 2025

Changed

Site navigation and organization

We've made several updates to the navigation of the site to improve organization. To make information easier to find:

October 28, 2025

New

The Business Communications Developer Console now includes Unsubscribe Reason and Spam Trend data on the Analytics overview.

October 23, 2025

Changed

Accurate engagement tracking for link previews

We've updated the Send messages guide to clarify the use of link previews in text messages (including but not limited to Basic Messages) and provide an example.

We've also added this important note for developers:

  • To accurately measure user engagement by counting HTTP requests to a given URL, you must filter-out requests made by the link preview generation service. Exclude requests with user agent strings containing either "GoogleMessages" or "Google-PageRenderer".

October 3, 2025

Changed

We've updated the Acceptable Use Policy to improve clarity and address new types of misuse. Here's a summary of the key changes:

  • Expanded the Abuse of the product section to include more examples of prohibited behavior, such as account hijacking, fraud, scams, and malware.
  • Updated the Misrepresentation and impersonation section with new examples of content obfuscation.
  • Added a new requirement to the Consent requirements section, which now requires brand-level compliance for consent revocation.
  • Broadened the Prohibited content section to ban more types of harmful content, including child sexual abuse, non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), and content related to violent organizations.
  • Replaced specific restricted content categories (alcohol, gambling, and healthcare) with a broader Regulated goods and services topic.
  • Clarified our policy that only one agent from a brand may deliver a specific content type to the same user.

September 30, 2025

Documentation enhancement

We've reorganized our terms and policies documentation to make it easier to find.

September 26, 2025

New

Fix for truncation issues: New full-screen view for rich card carousels have exited Google Messages Open Beta and are now generally available in Google Messages

This fix addresses a key pain point where text or suggestions on a rich card carousel could be cut off due to height limitations. To make it clear when more content is available, a More button now appears on truncated carousel cards. A tap anywhere in the text area expands the card into a swipeable, full-screen view, so users can always see the complete message.

Why we're making this change

  • Improved user experience: Eliminates user confusion from truncated content.
  • Enhanced message reliability: Gives you greater confidence that your entire message—including critical details and calls-to-action—is delivered and viewable.
  • No developer action required: This feature is enabled automatically for all rich card carousels without any changes to your agent.

For complete technical details on specifications, user interactions, and suggestion behavior, refer to the updated Rich cards documentation.

September 18, 2025

Changed

To better align with the growing consumer recognition of RCS and to simplify the platform's identity, RCS Business Messaging (RBM) is now officially named RCS for Business.

Ensuring a smooth transition

This is a change in name, not in function. It brings no technical changes to the platform and no material changes to our terms, policies, or your existing contracts.

Here's a summary of where you'll see the new platform name:

Where the name is changing ✅ Where the name is NOT changing ❌
Marketing: New marketing site and other marketing assets Support email: The address will remain rbm-support@google.com
Documentation: The developer site (non-API sections) APIs & endpoints: No changes to API names or endpoints
Legal: Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, new and renewed contracts Existing contracts: We won't amend existing contracts to reflect the name change

What do you need to do?

  1. No immediate action is required. This is a flexible, gradual transition.
  2. Do not change your code. Since the API names and endpoints are not changing, no technical work is needed on your end. Your integrations won't be affected.
  3. Use the new name in new materials. We recommend using "RCS for Business" for any new marketing materials or contracts you create.
  4. Look out for a branding kit. We will provide a new logo and brand usage guidelines later in Q4 to support your transition.
  5. A note on acronyms: Use "RCS for Business" externally. While "RBM" remains a familiar shorthand, please avoid creating new acronyms (for example, R4B, RCSB).

September 15, 2025

Coming soon

Restriction on supported schemes for OpenUrlAction

To enhance platform reliability and create a more consistent user experience, we're standardizing the URI schemes supported by the OpenUrlAction suggestion. Effective November 1, 2025, only URLs using http:// or https:// schemes will be permitted.

What's changing?

Currently, the url field in an OpenUrlAction accepts a wide range of URI schemes. After November 1, any API request containing an OpenUrlAction with an unsupported scheme (e.g.,tel:,mailto:, geo:) will be rejected and return a 400 Bad Request error.

Supported schemes

  • http://
  • https://

Action required

Review your existing integrations and update any implementations of OpenUrlAction to ensure they exclusively use the supported schemes. All necessary changes must be completed by November 1, 2025 to avoid service disruptions.

If you have any questions, please contact RCS for Business Support.

September 9, 2025

New

We've launched a more powerful way to manage your test devices in the RBM Management API.

With the new testers API, you can:

  • Send and resend tester invites to devices.
  • View invite status: PENDING, ACCEPTED, and DECLINED.
  • Get a list of all test devices and their status.
  • Remove test devices.

Access to the old phones.testers PI will be removed on January 31, 2026. We encourage partners to migrate to the new testers API now.

August 28, 2025

Documentation enhancement

Localized Unsubscribe/Subscribe keywords: We've updated our documentation with the specific, country-based keywords (such as STOP, BAJA, parar) that are automatically sent to your agent when a user unsubscribes or subscribes. This list will help you better identify and handle these events. For the complete reference, see the Unsubscribe and Subscribe documentation.

August 25, 2025

Documentation enhancement

We've updated the Verify and launch your agent documentation. To help you find relevant information more quickly:

  • We've created individual pages for Brand verification and Launch approval.
  • We've grouped the agent creation and launch documentation together in the left-side navigation.

August 19, 2025

Changed

  • For Google-managed launches: In your agent information, you must add at least one contact method: a phone number, website, or email. While only one is required, providing all is encouraged.

August 13, 2025

Documentation enhancement

  • We've updated the Rich cards documentation with a new Thumbnail section to clarify the behavior and size limits of thumbnails in rich cards.

August 4, 2025

New

  • For RBM traffic on India carriers: RBM agents can now send PDF files in rich cards in the Google Messages client.

Documentation enhancement

We've updated the RBM Billing FAQ to explain how different messaging scenarios and user responses contribute to billing events for conversational and non-conversational agents.

The following sections have been added:

July 31, 2025

Changed

100 MiB combined file attachment limit per message

  • To improve the user experience and prevent unexpected data consumption, a 100 MiB size limit has been implemented for the total combined size of all media and PDF attachments within a single RBM message. The limit now applies to RBM traffic on all carriers.

July 30, 2025

New

Fix for truncation issues: New full-screen view for rich card carousels in Google Messages

This fix addresses a key pain point where text or suggestions on a rich card carousel could be cut off due to height limitations. To make it clear when more content is available, a More button now appears on truncated carousel cards. A tap anywhere in the text area expands the card into a swipeable, full-screen view, so users can always see the complete message.

Why we're making this change

  • Improved user experience: Eliminates user confusion from truncated content.
  • Enhanced message reliability: Gives you greater confidence that your entire message—including critical details and calls-to-action—is delivered and viewable.
  • No developer action required: This feature is enabled automatically for all rich card carousels without any changes to your agent.

Availability

For complete technical details on specifications, user interactions, and suggestion behavior, refer to the updated Rich cards documentation.

July 28, 2025

New

July 17, 2025

Documentation enhancement

We've made several improvements to the Manage agents documentation.

July 9, 2025

New

Flexible launch option for multi-use agents

  • To help you get to market faster, you can now request to launch a multi-use agent with only one of its use cases implemented (either promotional or transactional).
  • You are then required to implement and submit the second use case for review within six months of the initial launch to maintain your agent's multi-use status.
  • For details, see Submit a launch request.

July 1, 2025

Changed

Reports

June 23, 2025

New

Real-time agent launch state notifications

  • For RBM partners: The RBM platform now sends real-time updates on your agents' launch status directly to your webhook. This eliminates the need for manual monitoring through email or the Developer Console, giving you immediate insights into your agent's lifecycle.

How it works

  • You'll now receive an AgentLaunchEvent for every change to your agent's launch status (e.g., from PENDING to LAUNCHED or REJECTED). You can use your existing messaging webhook or configure a dedicated notification webhook to receive these events.

  • To learn more about how to configure your webhook, understand the event payload, and interpret agent launch states, see Agent launch state has changed.

June 16, 2025

Changed

As we continue to optimize the user experience, we've updated the availability of the Unsubscribe feature in two markets:

United States:

  • For RBM and A2P xMS messages from short codes and alphanumeric senders:
    • The Unsubscribe option is no longer visible at the bottom of the chat.
    • The Unsubscribe option in the menu remains available.
  • Developer note: You will continue to receive Unsubscribe events from users who select the Unsubscribe option at the bottom of the chat in Google Messages versions prior to 20250518.01.

Spain:

  • The Unsubscribe option (both in chat and menu) was disabled for RBM.

These updates change how users see the Unsubscribe option. Continue to process all Unsubscribe events you receive for compliance.

For more information about the Unsubscribe and Subscribe features, see the previous release note and the complete documentation.

June 9, 2025

Coming soon

Changes to media URL redirection handling

For reliable and secure media delivery, we're changing how we handle media URL redirects in RBM API calls:

  • files.create API: Media URLs for file uploads will support one redirect.
  • agentMessage.create API: Media URLs in these requests will no longer support redirects.

Timing: The new redirect handling will take effect on July 30, 2025.

Recommendation: To maintain reliable media delivery and avoid disruptions:

June 6, 2025

New

RBM Figma Sticker Sheet

Exclusively for registered RBM partners: Get accurate Google Messages UI elements and design patterns with the new Figma Sticker Sheet. It's an essential resource for designers to visualize RBM features and create consistent and intuitive user experiences for your brand.

To apply to become an RBM partner, fill out the partner registration interest form.

June 4, 2025

Documentation enhancement

We've made several improvements to the Analytics overview documentation.

May 30, 2025

Documentation enhancement

We've updated the RBM agent launch documentation.

May 28, 2025

Documentation enhancement

We've made several improvements to the Agents documentation and RBM Troubleshooting guide.

May 12, 2025

Changed

Updated rich card carousel dimensions and font size

The specifications for rich card carousels have been updated to reflect the latest Google Messages UI and specific UX improvements for carousels. All rich cards also have a slightly larger font for readability.

Key changes

  • Font size: Text within all rich cards (standalone and carousel) now renders at 16 SP, increased from 14 SP.
  • Small carousel dimensions: Fixed width of 180 DP (increased from 120 DP), maximum height of 542 DP (remains the same).
  • Medium carousel dimensions: Fixed width of 296 DP (increased from 232 DP), maximum height of 592 DP (remains the same).
  • Carousel scaling: Carousels have been scaled up by approximately 1.5x to provide more content space.
  • Media heights (unchanged):
    • Short media: 112 DP
    • Medium media: 168 DP
    • Tall media: 264 DP
  • Media ratio change: With the increased width of small and medium carousel cards, and no change to their media heights, the media will now appear wider than before.

Impact on your designs and visualization

  • Rich cards: Expect slightly larger text, and adjust your layouts as needed.
  • Small carousels: Use the expanded fixed width (180 DP) and maximum height (542 DP). Be aware that media will look wider now because the card is wider but the media height hasn't changed. You might need to adjust your image sizing or layout.
  • Medium carousels: Use the expanded fixed width (296 DP) and maximum height (592 DP). Note that media in these cards will also appear wider due to the card size change. Review your media to confirm it looks good in this wider format.
  • Carousel height: All cards within a carousel will continue to scale to the height of the tallest card.
  • Carousel truncation: The existing logic for truncation remains in effect.

Benefits

  • Larger font improves text readability across all rich cards.
  • More space in carousels give you more flexibility for displaying multiple items for users to explore.
  • This update significantly improves the UX for rich cards and carousels in Google Messages, so you can incorporate more engaging and effective carousels across your campaigns.

Before and after

  • Small carousel, short media, short text content:
Feature Previous dimensions Current dimensions
Carousel width 120 DP (fixed) 180 DP (fixed)
Max height 592 DP 542 DP
Font size 14 SP 16 SP
Visualization Compact, text potentially very small Wider, more readable text
Example Previous content Current content
  • Medium carousel, medium media, medium text content:
Feature Previous dimensions Current dimensions
Carousel width 232 DP 296 DP (fixed)
Max height 592 DP 542 DP
Font size 14 SP 16 SP
Visualization Moderate space, readable text More spacious, more readable text
Example Previous content Current content
  • Medium carousel, tall media, long text content:
Feature Previous dimensions Current dimensions
Carousel width 232 DP 296 DP (fixed)
Max height 592 DP 542 DP
Font size 14 SP 16 SP
Visualization Text potentially truncated, tighter layout More room for text, improved visual balance
Example Previous content Current content

April 29, 2025

New

Webviews are now generally available in Google Messages

  • Webview functionality has exited Early Access. Now, production agents can use the Open URL suggested action to embed webviews directly in RBM conversations. This enables users to easily access web content, like payment platforms, without leaving the Messages app. Webviews can display in full, half, or tall screen. Learn more in What can agents do?.
  • Note that a client update is required to enable webviews, so this feature will become more widespread over time. On devices that don't support webviews (yet), the specified web page will open in the user's default browser.

April 28, 2025

New

  • Open beta release of the unsubscribe and resubscribe feature for RBM conversations within Google Messages.

Key features

  • Unsubscribe/Subscribe options (replace Block & report at the bottom of the chat): Users can easily opt-out or opt-in to conversations.
  • Webhook event notifications: Partners receive UNSUBSCRIBE and SUBSCRIBE requests via new webhook events.
  • Unsubscribe reasons: Users can provide a reason when unsubscribing, and have the option to report spam. The existing Block & report spam option remains available in the chat menu.

Benefits

  • Actionable insights: Partners and carriers gain insights into user engagement with business messages.
  • Enhanced user experience: Users have greater control over the messages they receive, reducing unwanted messages and improving overall satisfaction with RCS.
  • Brand integrity: Helps businesses maintain a positive brand image by respecting user preferences and promoting ethical messaging practices.

Availability

  • The Unsubscribe and Subscribe options will be available for:
    • RBM messages in the United States, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
    • A2P SMS or MMS messages in the United States from short codes (phone numbers with 5-6 digits) and alphanumeric senders.

April 15, 2025

New

March 25, 2025

New

Coming soon

  • Open beta release of the unsubscribe and resubscribe feature for RBM conversations within Google Messages.

Key features

  • Unsubscribe/Subscribe options (replace Block & report at the bottom of the chat): Users can easily opt-out or opt-in to conversations.
  • Webhook event notifications: Partners receive UNSUBSCRIBE and SUBSCRIBE requests via new webhook events.
  • Unsubscribe reasons: Users can provide a reason when unsubscribing, and have the option to report spam. The existing Block & report spam option remains available in the chat menu.

Benefits

  • Actionable insights: Partners and carriers gain insights into user engagement with business messages.
  • Enhanced user experience: Users have greater control over the messages they receive, reducing unwanted messages and improving overall satisfaction with RCS.
  • Brand integrity: Helps businesses maintain a positive brand image by respecting user preferences and promoting ethical messaging practices.

Availability

  • The Unsubscribe and Subscribe options will be available for:
    • RBM messages in the United States, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
    • A2P SMS or MMS messages in the United States from short codes (phone numbers with 5-6 digits) and alphanumeric senders.

March 4, 2025

Changed

  • If a user whose device doesn't support webviews opens a link to a web page in the messaging app, the web page now opens in the user's browser instead.

March 4, 2025

New

  • To align with the GSMA RCC.07 specification, a new messageTrafficType field has been added to the RBM API. This field lets you specify the use case, or "traffic type," of each message (for example: authentication, transaction, and promotion types of traffic). By identifying the traffic type of each message, this field will make it possible for one agent to support multiple use cases.

What do you need to do?

  • To set the message traffic type, use the messageTrafficType field in the RBM API when sending messages.
  • The field is currently optional, but we strongly recommend that you start using it now, to avoid future errors when the field becomes required.

February 24, 2025

Changed

100 MiB combined file attachment limit per message to US numbers

  • To improve the user experience and prevent unexpected data consumption, a 100 MiB size limit has been implemented for the total combined size of all media and PDF attachments within a single RBM message sent to US phone numbers. This limit applies exclusively to RBM traffic on US carriers.
  • Agents operating in multiple countries, such as Canada and the US, are only subject to this limit when sending messages to US phone numbers.

February 11, 2025

Changed

For improved error handling, the RBM platform has updated its error responses for failed phones.getCapabilities and phones.agentMessages.create requests. Specifically, the platform now returns a 404 Not Found error code in all scenarios where the target user or network is not reachable or configured for RCS.

New 404 error behavior:

  • The RBM platform will now return a 404 NOT_FOUND error code in the following situations:
    • A capability check or a message is sent to a user whose device doesn't support RCS or doesn't have RCS enabled.
    • A capability check or a message is sent to a user on a network where the agent is not launched or where RCS traffic is not enabled.

Change from 403 error:

  • Previously, a 403 PERMISSION_DENIED error was returned when sending capability checks or messages to RCS users on networks where the agent was not launched or RCS traffic was not enabled.

Impact on developers: Developers should update their error handling logic to correctly interpret 404 errors in response to phones.getCapabilities and phones.agentMessages.create.

February 4, 2025

Documentation enhancement

  • A new Rich card guide provides specifications for rich cards and carousels. Understanding these specs is essential for creating engaging and functional rich cards in Google Messages. Key updates include:

    • Clarified media support (image and video formats, sizing, and aspect ratios).

    • Detailed character limits for titles, descriptions, and suggested replies and actions.

    • Explanation of vertical and horizontal rich card layouts.

    • Specifications for carousels, including sizing and content limits.

    • Guidance on handling content truncation and whitespace.

January 29, 2025

Documentation enhancement

We've made several improvements to the RBM billing documentation.