Tells launches verified RCS Business Messaging in the U.S.

Tells has made its RCS Business Messaging product generally available for verified brands across iOS and Android in the United States, with automatic SMS fallback through one API. The release gives businesses a cross-platform way to send branded, interactive messages that can carry a logo, verified checkmark and rich actions instead of a plain phone number.

Why it matters: - Tells is trying to make branded mobile messaging work across both major U.S. smartphone ecosystems with one integration. - Verified sender identity is the main trust signal here, as spam filtering and unverified messaging have weakened confidence in SMS. - The product matters for brands that want richer customer conversations without building separate iPhone and Android paths.

What happened: - Tells announced general availability of Tells RCS Messaging for verified brands in the United States. - The release covers iOS and Android and uses automatic SMS fallback when RCS is not supported. - The launch follows the company’s regulatory approval earlier in 2026 as one of the first U.S. platforms cleared for RCS Business Messaging. - Customers can use the same Tells messaging API for RCS and SMS.

The details: - Verified Tells customers appear in message threads with the brand logo, registered brand name and a verified checkmark. - Tells delivers RCS on Android through Google’s RCS Business Messaging and on iOS through Apple’s RCS Universal Profile path. - The product supports rich cards with images and call-to-action buttons. - Brands can send carousels of multiple cards in a single message. - Suggested replies let recipients respond with a tap. - Action buttons can place a call, open a URL, add an event to a calendar or request a one-time location share. - Read receipts and typing indicators appear when the recipient’s device and carrier support them. - Brands do not need to detect RCS capability per recipient, branch code or maintain separate templates for RCS and SMS. - Throughput for verified brands is comparable to short code SMS. - Existing customers can enable RCS on any sender that has completed Tells brand verification. - New customers can register a brand and sending identity through the Tells brand verification workflow. - Documentation, sample payloads and migration notes are available in the Tells developer portal.

Between the lines: - Tells is positioning verification as the foundation of outbound messaging, not a premium extra. - The company expects visible brand identity in the thread to become a baseline trust signal across the industry over the next several years. - Cross-platform RCS reach in the U.S. improved after Apple added RCS support to iPhone in iOS 18. - One API for both RCS and SMS lowers the integration burden for teams that still need universal delivery. - David Schlaegel, co-founder of Tells, said customers wanted their actual brand shown on both iOS and Android without running two integrations.

What’s next: - Tells customers can turn on RCS now if their sender has completed brand verification. - New brands can begin with the verification workflow and then use the same API for RCS where supported and SMS everywhere else. - The company is directing developers to the portal for setup guidance, payload examples and migration support.

The bottom line: - Tells is betting that verified, cross-platform RCS will become the next standard for branded mobile messaging in the U.S.