GoKawiilGSMA says RCS has 6-12 months to compete in AI messaging
The GSMA, which oversees the RCS messaging standard, warns that RCS has a six-to-twelve month window to establish itself as a conversational, AI-capable platform rather than a one-way notification tool. GSMA Intelligence data shows people receive about 3.2 billion RCS messages daily, but businesses sent only around 20 billion RCS messages in all of 2025, versus roughly 15 SMS messages per subscriber monthly. The GSMA says it is developing new conversational features but has not announced specifics or timelines.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The warning suggests GSMA leadership sees rival platforms and AI assistants moving faster toward two-way, actionable conversations, which could leave RCS stuck as a notification channel even as its message volume grows. Analyst Emanuel Kolta's framing implies that reach alone won't secure RCS's relevance if competitors embed AI-driven interactivity first. The lack of concrete feature announcements suggests this may be more of a strategic signal than an imminent product shift.
- GSMA says RCS has a 6-12 month window to adapt to AI-powered conversational messaging.
- RCS reaches billions of messages daily, but business adoption remains far below SMS usage.
- GSMA is developing new conversational features but hasn't disclosed specifics or timing.
Source: androidauthority.com, 2026-10-29
Published there as: “The next big threat to RCS isn’t another messaging app”
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