RBM Message Types and Billing Paradigms
RBM Message Types
Overview of U.S. RBM Message Types
All RBM messages to or from a U.S. phone number are automatically categorized as one of two types based on the message content. This categorization is non-configurable.
- Rich Message: A text-only non-consumer RCS message that contains unicode characters counted in 160 UTF-8 bytes, which may also contain specific rich features noted in the chart below.
- Rich Media Message: A non-consumer RCS message containing rich content (e.g., images, videos, files, rich cards/carousels, and other rich features noted in the chart below).
| | Rich Message (Formerly Google "Basic") | Rich Media Message (Formerly Google "Single") |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A text-only non-consumer RCS message. | A non-consumer RCS message containing rich content (e.g., images, videos, files, rich cards/carousels). |
| Supported Features/Message Content | • Brand Name • Brand Logo • Verified Brand Indicator • Delivery/Read Receipts • Is Typing Indicators • Suggested Replies • Open URL Suggested Action (non-webview) • Dial Number Suggested Action | • Brand Name • Brand Logo • Verified Brand Indicator • Delivery/Read Receipts • Is Typing Indicators • Suggested Replies • All Suggested Actions • Supported File Attachments |
| Message Overflow/Segmentation | A Rich Message containing more than 160 UTF-8 bytes will be segmented into multiple Rich Messages (no message type conversion). | Not Applicable |
| Message Payload Limit | Not Applicable | The total combined size of all media and file attachments within a single Rich Media Message sent to a U.S. phone number is limited to 100 MB (1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes). |
Rich Message
(Formerly Google “Basic”)
| | |
|---|---|
| Definition | A text-only non-consumer RCS message. |
| Supported Features/Message Content • Brand Name • Brand Logo • Verified Brand Indicator • Delivery/Read Receipts • Is Typing Indicators • Suggested Replies • Open URL Suggested Action (non-webview) • Dial Number Suggested Action | |
| Message Overflow/Segmentation A Rich Message containing more than 160 UTF-8 bytes will be segmented into multiple Rich Messages (no message type conversion). | |
| Message Payload Limit Not Applicable |
Rich Media Message
(Formerly Google “Single”)
| | |
|---|---|
| Definition | A non-consumer RCS Message containing rich content (e.g., images, videos, files, rich cards/carousels). |
| Supported Features/Message Content • Brand Name • Brand Logo • Verified Brand Indicator • Delivery/Read Receipts • Is Typing Indicators • Suggested Replies • All Suggested Actions • Supported File Attachments | |
| Message Overflow/Segmentation Not Applicable | |
| Message Payload Limit The total combined size of all media and file attachments within a single Rich Media Message sent to a U.S. phone number is limited to 100 MB (1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes). |
Mobile-Terminated Messages
This section covers messages sent by an RBM Agent, which may also be referred to as A2P (Application-to-Person) messages.
Rich Message
An RBM message is categorized as a Rich Message if it contains only text content, as well as one or more of the following optional elements:
- Suggested Replies
- Suggested Actions of the following types only:
- Dial Number
- Open URL (via user’s web browser or designated mobile app, not a webview)
Rich Message Billing Logic: A Rich Message is billed based on segments. The segment count applies only to the Rich Message type.
- Segment Size: One segment = 160 UTF-8 bytes.*
- Segment Calculation: The total UTF-8 byte length of the message’s text is divided by 160 and always rounded up to the nearest whole number.
- Exclusions: The text and postback data within Suggested Replies or Suggested Actions, respectively, are not included in the segment count calculation.
Example: A 300-byte message has a segment count of 2 (300 bytes / 160 = 1.875, rounded up to 2 segments)
*Special characters (e.g. emojis or accented letters) may be counted as multiple bytes toward the 160 UTF-8 byte limit. Use a reliable UTF-8 byte counter to confirm the count.
Rich Media Message
An RBM message is categorized as a Rich Media Message if it contains at least one of the following elements:
- A rich card or carousel (including text-only rich cards)
- A file attachment (e.g., image, audio, video, PDF)
- A suggested action other than Dial Number or Open URL with browser, including:
- View Location
- Share Location
- Create Calendar Event
- Open URL in a webview
Rich Media Message Billing Logic: Segmentation does not apply.
Mobile-Originated Messages
This section covers messages and actions initiated by a user, which may also be referred to as P2A (Person-to-Application) messages.
Rich Message
A message from a user to an RBM agent containing only text (whether free-form text and/or the text that results from tapping a suggested reply, the latter of which can include a postback data identifier in the message payload).
Rich Media Message
A message from a user to an RBM Agent containing a supported file attachment (e.g., image, audio, video, or PDF).
Suggested Action Click
A user tap on any suggested action (Open URL, Dial Number, etc.) generates one SUGGESTED_ACTION_CLICK RBM event. This event applies exclusively to mobile-originated (P2A) interactions. It may include a postback data identifier in the message payload.
Special Case: Share Location Suggested Action
The Share Location Suggested Action flow is unique and generates two separate mobile-originated (MO) RBM events:
- Suggested Action Click: The user’s initial tap on the Share Location Suggested Action generates one SUGGESTED_ACTION_CLICK event.
- Share Location Message: After the user selects and sends their location from the map interface, a location message is sent to the agent. This message is categorized as a Rich Message with a segment-count of 1.
The Rich and Rich Media Message types apply to both mobile-terminated and mobile-originated RBM traffic. The following categorizations apply to mobile-originated responses:
Technical & Implementation Notes
- Segmentation is for billing purposes only: Messages are delivered as a single unit to the user’s device. The segmentation is a virtual calculation for billing and does not affect how messages are delivered to the user or displayed on the user’s device.
- Automatic Classification: The message classification is fully automatic based on message content and cannot be manually overridden.
Rollout & Transition:
The new message types and billing logics were enabled on July 15, 2025.
Message Detail Reporting
All entities involved in the flow of an RBM message (e.g., RBM platform provider, wireless providers, DCAs) must provide message detail reporting based on the Rich and Rich Media Message categories. For example, the RBM platform will include the message type and message segment count in both the AgentContentMessage response for mobile-terminated messages and the mobile-originated request sent to DCAs. The AgentMessage and UserMessage API resources include a richMessageClassification object to define the live classification message type.
RBM Billing Paradigms
In the U.S., Rich Messages and Rich Media Messages can be billed under a per-message or session-based (future) billing paradigm. Under a session-based billing paradigm, all Rich and Rich Media messages between a brand and a consumer within a specified period will be billed as a single RBM event once a session is triggered. Further details about the session-based billing paradigm will be forthcoming.