With Apple’s adoption of RCS, many questions about the technology and how it differs from traditional text messaging have emerged.
RCS and MMS are technologies that help people message media between mobile devices. However, they do have significant differences. In this blog, we’ll specifically cover RCS vs. MMS. You’ll learn each messaging type and how RCS differs from MMS.
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<h2 id="RCS">What is RCS?</h2>
RCS, which stands for Rich Communication Service, is a modern messaging protocol built to replace SMS and MMS. Developed by the GSM Association, it brings more modern features to traditional SMS and MMS messaging. Some of the core features of RCS include:
- Enriched messaging: Send texts back and forth without a strict character count.
- Interactive elements: RCS supports adding interactive items into a message, such as event tickets sent directly in a message.
- Rich media support: Send high-resolution photos, videos, or audio files.
- Large group chats: Create group chats with up to 100 recipients.
- Typing indicators: See when another person is typing a reply.
- Read receipts: Know when someone reads your message.
- Location sharing: Share location in real-time with other RCS users.
- Custom branding: RCS business messaging allows brands to create verified sender profiles, add logos, and use their colors.
- Internet sending: RCS messages are sent via cellular data or WiFi instead of a cellular network.
RCS messaging has several benefits, including the fact that it supports rich media, including longer videos, high-res images, and more. It’s also more feature-rich than MMS, including read receipts for better engagement tracking and longer messages. It also improves the messaging experience between Android and Apple devices. However, in a RCS business messaging may be more complex and require designers and developers to create.
The use cases for RCS messaging for business are widespread and similar to MMS messaging. For example, companies can use it to send:
- Promotional messages like flash sales, product launches, or abandoned cart reminders.
- Transactional messages like order confirmations, shipping updates, or appointment reminders.
- Conversational messages like troubleshooting issues, answering customer questions, or checking in with a customer.
- Event messages like reminders, mobile tickets, banners, and more.
<h2 id="MMS">What is MMS?</h2>
MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. MMS is a standard messaging protocol that allows users to send a text message with an attached file, like a photo, video, link, or audio clip. It uses the same technology as SMS but allows users to send multimedia. Some standard features of MMS include:
- 1,600-character messages: MMS messages allow users to send messages containing up to 1,600 characters.
- Media support: Allows users to send multimedia attachments with specific file size limits.
- Cellular network sending: MMS messages are sent via a cellular network.
The core benefit of MMS is that it allows users to send multimedia attachments via a cellular network rather than needing WiFi or data. It is also simple to use without a ton of additional features.
MMS messaging can be used by businesses to send messages similar to RCS. The difference is that they’re sent via cellular networks and are more limited in character count and image resolution. For example, the same use cases apply:
- Marketing messages containing an image of a new product or sale.
- Informational messages like order updates or appointment confirmation messages that contain a link.
- Two-way messages like sending screenshots of an issue or error messages
<h2 id="Vs">RCS vs. MMS</h2>
When it comes to comparing the two messaging technologies, the main difference is the available features. Let’s take a look at the core similarities and differences between MMS vs. RCS.
MMS vs. RCS example
Here’s a visual comparison of using MMS and RCS in a marketing text message.
For those interested in learning the difference between SMS (a standard text-only message) and RCS, check out our explainer of RCS vs. SMS.
Should you use RCS or MMS for business?
The answer to whether your business should use RCS or MMS is it depends! What works best for your brand will depend largely on your messaging goals, use case, and audience. Let’s look at a few reasons why MMS or RCS may be better for your business:
RCS may be better for you if:
- Visual appeal is a priority: RCS allows brands to send high-resolution photos and videos. This could be helpful if you’re using texting for marketing purposes.
- Custom branding is a must: RCS business messaging allows users to customize their messaging with logos, colors, and more. This can help you maintain a more consistent brand image.
- Interactivity is crucial: If you want to include interactive elements within your messages like embedded buttons, mobile tickets, or forms.
MMS may be better if:
- Wide reach is essential: MMS is supported by all mobile phone carriers in the U.S. This means no matter the carrier your customers have, MMS is still supported.
- You desire simplicity: MMS may be all you need if your messages are straightforward and don't require interactive elements. For example, two-way messaging use cases like customer support may not need all the bells and whistles of RCS.
Get your business messages read with Textline
It’s no secret that mobile messaging has a promising future in business as it allows brands to engage with customers directly. However, the choice of whether to use MMS or RCS for business messaging is dependent on your goals and use case.
If you’re looking for a way to get your mobile messages read by customers, try Textline’s MMS business texting platform. Textline offers a range of features, like true group messaging, SMS integrations, and automated texting, so you can scale customer outreach and messaging.
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