{"id":4090,"date":"2026-09-15T05:02:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T05:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/rcs-business-messaging-rich-media"},"modified":"2026-09-15T05:02:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T05:02:48","slug":"rcs-business-messaging-rich-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/rcs-business-messaging-rich-media","title":{"rendered":"RCS Rich Media: Capabilities, Limits, and SMS Fallback"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Written by: Matt Beucler, CEO, Plura AI<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Updated September 14, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"key-takeaways\">Key Takeaways for High-Volume Messaging Teams<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>RCS Business Messaging turns standard SMS into interactive, app-like experiences with rich cards, carousels, suggested replies, and branded sender identity inside the native messaging app.<\/li>\n<li>RCS supports images, video, audio, GIFs, PDFs, and interactive elements like suggested actions, while MMS focuses on basic media without interactive controls.<\/li>\n<li>Rich cards support up to 4 suggestions, carousels support 2 to 10 cards, and the maximum combined attachment size per message is 100 MiB.<\/li>\n<li>When RCS is unavailable, messages fall back to SMS with rich media and interactive elements removed, so senders must design and run their own fallback logic.<\/li>\n<li>Plura AI helps high-volume senders run RCS rich media at scale; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/plura-webchat\" target=\"_blank\">see a live Plura demo<\/a> to review RCS in a production environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How RCS Rich Media Compares to MMS in Practice<\/h2>\n<p>RCS and MMS diverge on six capabilities that shape what a campaign can deliver: media formats, carousels, suggested replies, suggested actions, read receipts, and branded sender identity. The table below shows how each channel handles these areas.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Attribute<\/th>\n<th>RCS Rich Media<\/th>\n<th>MMS<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Media formats supported<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Images (JPEG, GIF, PNG), video (H263, M4V, MP4, MPEG, WebM), audio (OGG, AAC, MP3, MPEG, MP4, 3GPP), and PDF<\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etsi.org\/deliver\/etsi_TS\/126100_126199\/126140\/13.00.00_60\/ts_126140v130000p.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">MMS supports a broad range of media types including images, video, audio, and documents such as PDF, with specific audio and document formats varying by carrier<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Carousel support<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Yes, 2 to 10 rich cards per carousel<\/a><\/td>\n<td>Not supported<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Suggested replies<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Yes, up to 4 per rich card; up to 11 as transient chips on a standalone text message<\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.klaviyo.com\/blog\/difference-between-rcs-vs-sms-vs-mms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Not supported; suggested replies are an RCS-only interactive element, unavailable in SMS or MMS<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Suggested actions<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Yes, open URL, dial phone, share location, view location, create calendar event<\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/simplyrcs.ai\/learn\/what-is-rcs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Not supported; the 3GPP MMS Stage 2 specification (TS 23.140) does not define suggested actions as a supported MMS User Agent submission capability, and suggested replies and actions are instead a feature of RCS messaging<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Read receipts<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/reference\/glossary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Delivery and read receipts are native to the RCS protocol<\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/forums.androidcentral.com\/threads\/note20-sms-mms-not-showing-read-status.1020931\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Standard SMS\/MMS supports delivery receipts; read receipts typically require iMessage or RCS, with some carriers exposing proprietary read data in enhanced SMS apps<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Branded sender identity<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/reference\/glossary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Verified brand name, logo, and description displayed in the messaging app<\/a><\/td>\n<td>Branded sender IDs cannot send MMS messages, so MMS sender identity appears as a phone number or short code<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Rich Media Types Available in RCS Business Messaging<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A single RCS Business Messaging API request can carry text, rich cards, media and PDF files, suggested replies, and suggested actions.<\/a> The list below summarizes the supported rich media types.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aigrowthmarketer.co\/1779338832429-847c53c76db5.png\" alt=\"Plura RCS messaging interface showing rich mobile communication with branded media, interactive messaging, and AI engagement tools.\" style=\"max-height: 500px\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><em>Plura RCS enables rich mobile messaging with interactive media, branded customer experiences, and AI-powered conversational engagement.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Rich cards.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/reference\/glossary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A rectangular unit that combines media, a title, a description, and up to 4 suggested replies or suggested actions in one message.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Carousels.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/reference\/glossary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A horizontally scrollable array of 2 to 10 rich cards that recipients can swipe through and tap individually.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Images.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Supported formats are image\/jpeg, image\/gif, and image\/png.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Video.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Supported formats are video\/h263, video\/m4v, video\/mp4, video\/mpeg4, video\/mpeg, and video\/webm.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Audio.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Supported formats are application\/ogg, audio\/aac, audio\/mp3, audio\/mpeg, audio\/mpg, audio\/mp4, audio\/mp4-latm, and audio\/3gpp.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Audio does not work with rich cards.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>GIF.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Animated GIFs are supported as image\/gif and work with rich cards.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>PDF.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">PDF files (application\/pdf) are supported, and they work with rich cards for Google Messages in India.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Suggested replies.<\/strong> Pre-defined tappable buttons that send a specific text string back to the business when tapped.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Suggested actions.<\/strong> Buttons that trigger a native device function such as opening a URL, dialing a phone number, sharing location, or creating a calendar event.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Practical Limits on Rich Cards and Carousels<\/h2>\n<p>Media formats are only part of the planning exercise. Structural limits on cards, suggestions, and payload size also shape how far a single RCS message can go.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A rich card can include suggested replies and suggested actions, with a maximum of 4 total suggestions per card.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A carousel can contain 2 to 10 rich cards.<\/a> This structure lets each card carry its own calls to action while the carousel presents a browsable strip.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">The maximum size of a single file sent through RCS for Business is 100 MiB, and the combined size of all media and PDF attachments in one message must also stay within 100 MiB.<\/a> Large video or document assets therefore need compression or separate sends.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">The maximum size of the entire stringified AgentMessage is 250 KB, and the text portion of the message is capped at 3,072 characters.<\/a> These limits affect long-form copy, dynamic personalization, and complex templates.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A single text message supports up to 11 suggestions.<\/a> Persistent suggestions can appear inside the message bubble, and transient suggestions can appear as chips outside the bubble. <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Each suggestion label has a maximum of 25 characters.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Thumbnails are limited to image\/jpeg, image\/jpg, image\/gif, and image\/png, with a maximum file size of 100 kB, and 50 kB or less is recommended.<\/a> Thumbnail limits matter when you preview videos or documents inside cards.<\/p>\n<h2>How Rich Cards and Carousels Appear in the RBM API Payload<\/h2>\n<p>Payload structure determines how your engineering team assembles campaigns and enforces the limits described above.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A standalone rich card in the RBM API payload includes four primary fields: title, description, media, and suggestions.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/rcs-api.com\/en\/rcs-rich-cards-the-complete-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">For a carousel, the API uses a carousel field instead of a single card field and passes an array of card objects.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rcs-api.com\/en\/rcs-rich-cards-the-complete-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A carousel is composed of 2 to 10 rich cards, which makes it useful for browsing product lines, appointment slots, or plan options.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developer.rmlconnect.net\/route-mobile-project\/docs\/rcs-message-types\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Rich cards support two layout orientations.<\/a> Vertical cards display horizontal media at the top of the card. Horizontal cards display vertical media on the left or right side of the card.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">The RCS for Business platform automatically transcodes and compresses media files such as images and videos before sending them.<\/a> Compression is based on the input media\u2019s quality rather than strictly on file size, so a file can be compressed even when its size is well below the 100 MiB maximum.<\/p>\n<h2>How Suggested Replies and Suggested Actions Work<\/h2>\n<p>Suggested replies and suggested actions are the two interactive element types in RCS Business Messaging, and each supports different customer behaviors.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mdsmedia.co.in\/blog\/what-are-rcs-suggested-replies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A suggested reply is a pre-defined tappable button; tapping one sends that exact text back to the business as if the recipient had typed it.<\/a> Common use cases include appointment confirmations, delivery updates, and support triage options.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rcs-api.com\/en\/interactivity-with-suggested-actions-and-replies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A suggested action does not send a text message back to the business.<\/a> It triggers a built-in native function on the user\u2019s smartphone, such as opening the web browser, starting the map function, or opening the calendar with pre-filled data. <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.enablex.io\/messaging\/rcs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Supported action types include opening a URL, dialing a phone number, sharing the user\u2019s location, viewing a location on a map, and creating a calendar event.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mdsmedia.co.in\/blog\/what-are-rcs-suggested-replies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Suggested replies and suggested actions can appear together beneath the same RCS message.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Persistent suggestions remain inside the message bubble, while transient suggestions disappear when the user makes a selection or a new message is sent or received.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>PDFs, Audio, and Other Media in RCS Campaigns<\/h2>\n<p>PDFs, audio, and thumbnails follow specific rules that affect how you design flows and assets.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">PDF files work with rich cards only for Google Messages in India.<\/a> In other regions, PDFs can be sent as standalone file attachments but do not render inside a rich card.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Audio formats such as application\/ogg, audio\/aac, audio\/mp3, audio\/mpeg, audio\/mpg, audio\/mp4, audio\/mp4-latm, and audio\/3gpp do not work with rich cards.<\/a> They can still be delivered as separate media messages.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Image formats image\/jpeg, image\/gif, and image\/png, along with video formats video\/h263, video\/m4v, video\/mp4, video\/mpeg4, video\/mpeg, and video\/webm, work with rich cards.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Thumbnails are limited to image\/jpeg, image\/jpg, image\/gif, and image\/png, with a maximum file size of 100 kB, and 50 kB or less is recommended.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>How RCS Rich Media Falls Back to SMS<\/h2>\n<p>Fallback behavior determines what customers see when their device or carrier cannot receive RCS.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">If a recipient\u2019s device or carrier does not support RCS, Google\u2019s RCS for Business platform returns a 404 NOT_FOUND error for the send attempt.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">The sender is expected to handle the failure through fallback methods in its own infrastructure, and Google does not automatically convert the same RCS payload into SMS in this response path.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">If the recipient is offline, Google keeps the message and retries delivery for up to 30 days.<\/a> The sender does not need to resend during that retry window.<\/p>\n<p>When RCS falls back to SMS, rich content is stripped. Interactive buttons cannot be sent via SMS and must be replaced with URLs in the fallback version, while images and carousels are removed entirely.<\/p>\n<p>Suggested replies and suggested actions are not supported in SMS fallback. Senders convert interactive buttons to non-interactive text or links in their own fallback logic. Branded sender profiles also do not carry over, since SMS arrives from an alphanumeric sender ID without verified branding.<\/p>\n<h2>Core RCS Business Messaging Use Cases<\/h2>\n<p>RCS Business Messaging supports branded, interactive messages with rich media, in-message documents, in-message payments, and personalized video, all delivered inside the message thread so customers stay in the conversation. The channel fits appointment confirmations with one-tap reply buttons, product carousels with direct purchase actions, contract workflows via integrated document tools, and payment requests completed without opening a browser.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/products\/rcs\" target=\"_blank\">Plura AI RCS<\/a> delivers these capabilities at scale, including in-message documents through tools such as DocuSign and PandaDoc, in-message payments through providers such as Stripe, and personalized 30-second AI-rendered video. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/products\/rcs\" target=\"_blank\">See the full RCS capability set.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aigrowthmarketer.co\/1779339360346-dcb25322efc5.png\" alt=\"Plura RCS interface showing rich AI-powered messaging with interactive media, branded conversations, and customer engagement.\" style=\"max-height: 500px\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><em>Plura RCS delivers rich AI-powered messaging with interactive media, branded experiences, and real-time customer engagement.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/products\/rcs\" target=\"_blank\">Plura AI RCS<\/a> reports <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/products\/rcs\" target=\"_blank\">3x higher engagement compared to SMS, an 80% read rate, and a 35% click-through rate<\/a> across more than 2 billion supported devices.<sup data-disclaimer-id=\"24\" data-disclaimer-index=\"3\">3<\/sup><\/p>\n<h2>RCS Business Messaging on iPhone and Other Devices<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/anantya.ai\/blog\/what-is-rcs-messaging\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Apple added basic RCS support in iOS 18 for consumer messaging.<\/a> Full RCS Business Messaging features such as verified sender profiles, rich cards, and suggested actions are not yet supported on iPhones, so many RCS campaigns still default to SMS fallback for iPhone recipients.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Persistent suggestions are supported in Google Messages version 20260225.00 or later.<\/a> Earlier Google Messages versions, iOS, and Samsung Messages do not support persistent suggestions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/reference\/glossary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Rich card and carousel rendering depends on the receiving device\u2019s supported feature set.<\/a> Senders running RCS campaigns at scale plan for device-level capability differences and configure SMS fallback logic for recipients whose devices do not support the full RCS feature set.<\/p>\n<h2>What These RCS Limits Mean for High-Volume Senders<\/h2>\n<p>Documented limits, device differences, and fallback behavior shape how RCS performs at scale, so infrastructure matters as much as creative.<\/p>\n<p>Plura AI is an FCC-licensed platform of AI agents that run voice, SMS, RCS, and webchat conversations on 100% U.S. infrastructure. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/products\/rcs\" target=\"_blank\">Plura AI RCS<\/a> carries rich cards, carousels, in-message documents, in-message payments, and personalized AI-rendered video inside the message thread, so customers stay in a single conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Plura\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/plura.ai\/ai-sms-leads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">AI SMS<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/plura.ai\/ai-voice-demo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">AI voice agent<\/a>, AI RCS, and <a href=\"https:\/\/plura.ai\/plura-webchat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">AI Webchat<\/a> share a Stateful Conversation Database. An agent that texted a lead at 9 a.m. can pick up the call at noon with full context from the earlier exchange.<\/p>\n<p>Plura owns an FCC-licensed audio bridging carrier, issues branded caller ID at the carrier level, and supports compliance with real-time DNC scrubbing, TCPA-litigator screening, automated quiet hours, and immutable consent logging inside the platform on every outbound contact.<sup data-disclaimer-id=\"22\" data-disclaimer-index=\"1\">1<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Compare plans and rates side by side on the <a href=\"https:\/\/plura.ai\/pricing\" target=\"_blank\">Plura pricing page<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/plura.ai\/plura-webchat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">See a live Plura demo<\/a> to review how AI RCS rich media connects with your existing voice and SMS workflows.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<h3>What Is the Maximum Number of Suggested Replies per Rich Card?<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A rich card supports a maximum of 4 total suggestions, which can be a mix of suggested replies and suggested actions or all of one type.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A standalone text message supports up to 4 persistent suggestions inside the message bubble and up to 11 transient suggestions displayed as chips outside the bubble.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Each suggestion label has a maximum of 25 characters.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>How Many Cards Can a Carousel Contain?<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">A carousel can contain a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10 rich cards.<\/a> Each card in the carousel follows the same structure as a standalone rich card, including media, a title, a description, and up to 4 suggestions per card. All cards in a carousel render in a vertical layout and share a consistent card width across the scrollable strip.<\/p>\n<h3>What Happens to a Carousel When RCS Is Unavailable?<\/h3>\n<p>When a recipient\u2019s device or carrier does not support RCS, the RCS for Business platform returns a 404 NOT_FOUND error, and the sender\u2019s infrastructure handles fallback. Carousels do not render in SMS and are removed when the message falls back to that channel. Interactive buttons within carousel cards cannot be sent via SMS and are typically replaced with plain-text URLs in the fallback version. Senders that need to preserve visual content in fallback can configure MMS as the fallback channel, although MMS still cannot carry interactive buttons.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I Send a PDF Over RCS Business Messaging?<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">PDF files (application\/pdf) are supported as a media type in RCS Business Messaging<\/a>, with a key constraint. <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">PDF files work with rich cards only for Google Messages in India.<\/a> In other contexts, PDFs can be sent as standalone file attachments but do not render inside a rich card. <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/business-communications\/rcs-business-messaging\/guides\/build\/messages\/send\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">The maximum file size for any single attachment is 100 MiB, and the total combined size of all media and PDF attachments in a single message must not exceed 100 MiB.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion: Turning RCS Rich Media Into a Reliable Channel<\/h2>\n<p>RCS Business Messaging rich media extends what SMS and MMS can do, but campaigns only perform when teams design within the limits on cards, suggestions, payload size, and fallback behavior. Treating those constraints as core requirements keeps messages deliverable across Android, iOS, and mixed-carrier audiences.<\/p>\n<p>The limits are documented and the fallback path is predictable. The remaining decision is infrastructure. Plura AI carries the RCS capabilities described above into production and uses a Stateful Conversation Database to preserve context across voice, SMS, RCS, and webchat.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/plura.ai\/plura-webchat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noindex nofollow\">Watch RCS rich media in Plura<\/a> and review how it behaves inside a production-grade AI messaging platform built for high-volume operators.<\/p>\n<hr data-disclaimer-divider=\"true\">\n<div data-disclaimer-footer=\"true\">\n<p data-disclaimer-id=\"22\" data-disclaimer-type=\"content_based\"><sup data-disclaimer-index=\"1\">1<\/sup> Plura AI maintains SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO, and GDPR posture as part of its platform infrastructure. References to compliance frameworks in this article describe Plura\u2019s platform capabilities and do not constitute a guarantee that any customer using Plura will themselves be compliant with applicable laws or standards. Customers remain solely responsible for their own regulatory obligations, certifications, consent management, recordkeeping, and the claims they make to their own end users. Consult qualified legal counsel for guidance specific to your use case.<\/p>\n<p data-disclaimer-id=\"23\" data-disclaimer-type=\"content_based\"><sup data-disclaimer-index=\"2\">2<\/sup> This article describes regulatory frameworks at a general level and does not constitute legal advice. Laws and regulations vary by jurisdiction, change over time, and apply differently depending on facts and circumstances. Readers should consult qualified legal counsel before making compliance decisions.<\/p>\n<p data-disclaimer-id=\"24\" data-disclaimer-type=\"content_based\"><sup data-disclaimer-index=\"3\">3<\/sup> Performance figures, customer outcomes, and industry statistics referenced in this article are drawn from cited third-party sources or Plura customer case studies. Individual results vary based on implementation, use case, industry, audience, and execution. Past or aggregate performance is not a guarantee of future results.<\/p>\n<p data-disclaimer-id=\"21\" data-disclaimer-type=\"fixed\">This article is provided for informational purposes only and reflects Plura AI\u2019s understanding at the time of publication. Product capabilities, integrations, and specifications are subject to change. For the most current information, visit plura.ai.<\/p>\n<p data-disclaimer-id=\"27\" data-disclaimer-type=\"fixed\">This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by Plura AI prior to publication.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section data-read-next=\"true\">\n<h2>Read Next<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/rcs-outbound-features-for-business\" target=\"_blank\">RCS Outbound Features for Business: The 2026 Complete Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/rcs-outbound-limitations-2026\" target=\"_blank\">RCS Outbound Limitations: Technical Constraints in 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/rcs-business-messaging-use-cases\" target=\"_blank\">RCS Business Messaging: Use Cases, ROI and How It Works<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/best-rcs-business-messaging-practices\" target=\"_blank\">RCS Business Messaging Best Practices: 2026 Operator&#8217;s Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/rcs-business-messaging-vs-sms\" target=\"_blank\">RCS Business Messaging vs SMS: 2026 Decision Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn RCS rich media types, card limits, and SMS fallback behavior. Plura AI helps high-volume teams deploy RCS campaigns with confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":4089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-sms-automation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plura.ai\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}