Latest releases

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

April 1, 2026

New

New visibility controls: Archive and hide agents

To help manage console clutter, we've introduced new visibility controls for both partners and carriers. These features let you remove old or unused agents from their primary views in the Console and through the API without affecting agents' operational state.

For partners: Archive and unarchive agents

You can archive or unarchive agents that are in an inactive state (UNLAUNCHED, SUSPENDED, or REJECTED). You can't archive agents that are LAUNCHED or PENDING on any carrier network.

Key features

• RCS for Business Developer Console: Archive or unarchive agents individually or in bulk (up to 100). For details, see Archive/Unarchive an agent.
• Management API: Programmatically manage an agent's archive status. For details, see Archive or unarchive an agent.
• Filtered views: By default, archived agents are excluded from the main list. To include the archived agents in their results, use filters in the Console or parameters in the API.

For carriers: Hide and unhide agents

You can hide or unhide agents that are in an inactive state (SUSPENDED or REJECTED) on your network. You can't hide an agent if its launch status on your network is LAUNCHED or PENDING.

Key features

• Administration Console: Hide and unhide agents individually or in bulk (up to 100). For details, see Hide/Unhide an agent.
• Operations API: Manage an agent's hidden status for your network. For details, see Hide/Unhide agents.
• Filtered views: By default, agents marked as hidden are excluded from the main list. To view these agents, use filters in the Console or parameters in the API.

March 10, 2026

Changed

We have updated the allowed launch state transitions when managing agents through RBM Operations API and Business Communications API and Administration Console and Business Communications Developer Console. This ensures consistent logic and synchronization between API and Console.

Here are the updated allowed launch state transitions:

Carrier-initiated

• From PENDING to LAUNCHED or REJECTED
• From LAUNCHED to SUSPENDED
• From SUSPENDED to LAUNCHED or UNLAUNCHED

Partner-initiated

• From UNSPECIFIED, UNLAUNCHED, or REJECTED to PENDING

Note: If you attempt to change the launch status to a value outside of the allowed ones, the API will return a corresponding error message.

March 9, 2026

Changed

URL transparency in 'Open a URL' suggested action

Google Messages now displays the underlying URL address directly within the 'Open a URL' action for in-card suggestions of rich cards and carousels. For details, see Open a URL.

Before	After

By surfacing the URL, we aim to:

• Build user confidence: Reduce friction and "click-hesitation" caused by unknown links.
• Drive engagement: Establish consistent and reliable usage habits within RCS for Business.

Recommended actions

• Deployment: This feature is enabled automatically; no technical integration or API changes are required on your part.
• Audit your links: Ensure your destination URLs are concise and consistent with your brand.
• Review UX: Check your current 'Open a URL' suggested actions in rich cards and carousels to ensure the display text and the now-visible URL don't feel redundant or cluttered.

February 28, 2026

Changed

API deprecation for the phones.testers resource

To provide more comprehensive control, we launched the new testers API for complete tester lifecycle management. Now you can send or resend invites, get status, and remove testers programmatically.

Because of this expanded functionality, we've deprecated the legacy phones.testers resource.

To ensure uninterrupted testing for your agents, all partners are required to migrate their implementations to the new, streamlined testers API resource. Agents that haven't migrated won't be able to invite or manage test devices after this date.

Resource	Status
phones.testers	Deprecated
testers	Current

What you need to do:

1. Review the new testers API reference and the updated guide to set up a test device.
2. Update your existing code that calls the phones.testers.create method to use the new testers resource endpoints.
3. Implement and test the new logic.

February 16, 2026

New

New fields in analytics.agentPerformances.list response with additional metrics

The analytics.agentPerformances.list method in the RCS Business Messaging API now includes additional fields in the AgentPerformance object related to Unsubscribe Reason and Spam Trend data.

February 12, 2026

Documentation enhancement

We've updated the Send messages documentation with a new Time to live (TTL) for a message section to clarify expected notification behavior and provide recommendations for managing delivery edge cases.

February 5, 2026

New

New Contact RCS for Business support page

We have replaced the "Email RBM support" link with a new Contact RCS for Business support page.

All technical support requests should now be initiated through the support contact form linked on this page, which ensures that issues are accurately captured and routed for faster resolution.

To help you prepare your submission, the page includes a quick start guide that outlines the mandatory information required for various issue categories.

February 5, 2026

Documentation enhancement

We've updated the Send events and phones.agentEvent.create documentation with information about the delivery behavior of the READ and IS_TYPING agent events within RCS for Business.

• The updates specify that READ events are persistent and stored for up to 30 days if a user has RCS enabled but is unreachable, while IS_TYPING events remain ephemeral and expire after approximately 20 seconds.

January 30, 2026

New

Optional comments for agent launch approvals

Carriers can now provide additional comments when approving agent launch requests.

Console changes

Previously, when managing agents in the Administration Console, carriers could provide a comment with a reason only when rejecting, suspending, or terminating an agent.

With this update, we have introduced an optional comment field for the approval process. This allows carriers to share important context directly with agent owners at the point of approval. For more information, see Manage agents on your network.

Comments provided during approval are recorded in Agent history of both the Administration and Business Communications consoles.

RBM Operations API changes

The comment field now supports all state transitions when changing an agent's launch status. Carriers can now provide an optional reason for any status change to improve communication and record-keeping. For more information, see Manage agents with the RBM Operations API.

January 15, 2026

New

Notifications for rich cards and carousels in Google Messages now include a preview of the media, along with the title and description.

Media previews are only shown when:

• Rich cards: The card's media is an image or has a thumbnail.
• Carousels: The first card's media is an image or has a thumbnail.

Collapsed notification	Expanded notification

Why we're making this change

To boost engagement with your messages.

Action required

No action is required on your end.

New

File sharing for agent verification

To streamline the agent approval process, partners now have the option to upload supporting documents directly in the Business Communications Developer Console.

Key enhancements

• Direct upload: Partners can now upload authorization letters and other supporting documents directly into the Business Communications Developer Console. For more information, see Submit verification information. Note that even if an authorization letter is provided, the primary authorization method for launches on Google-managed carriers remains email.
• Visibility: Carriers who use the Administration Console can view these uploaded documents to speed up their review. For more information, see Manage agents on your network.
• Flexible verification options: The new feature supplements our standard email-based verification, which remains active.

While this feature is optional, keep the following technical limits in mind:

• File type: PDF only.
• Max file size: 50 MB per file.
• Quantity limit: Up to 5 unique documents. Avoid file duplications.

January 7, 2026

New

We are introducing new traffic limits for promotional RCS for Business agents in India.

Limits on total unique users

A new limit affects the total number of unique users an agent can message per 28 days based on its reputation. All new agents start with a low reputation by default.

For a detailed explanation of these new traffic limits and other business rules, see the Agent use cases and business rules page.