Configuring RCS suggestions

Suggestions are interactive chips that appear below or within an RCS message. They guide recipients through a conversation by presenting predefined replies and actions, such as opening a URL, calling a phone number, or sharing a location, without requiring the recipient to type. Suggestions are how you build interactive, conversational experiences with SendRcsMessage.

You can add suggestions to any content type (text, file, rich card, and carousel) at two levels:

AWS End User Messaging supports six suggestion types: Reply, OpenUrl, DialPhone, ShowLocation, RequestLocation, and CreateCalendarEvent. Every suggestion requires a Text label (up to 25 characters) and PostbackData (up to 2,048 characters).

How postback data works

Each suggestion includes a PostbackData string of up to 2,048 characters that AWS End User Messaging sends back to your application when the recipient chooses the suggestion. Postback data is not visible to the recipient. Use it to encode routing information, intent identifiers, session context, or any metadata your backend needs to process the selection.

When a recipient chooses a suggestion, AWS End User Messaging delivers an inbound message event to the Amazon SNS topic that you configure for two-way messaging. Route your logic on postbackData rather than the display text. For details about inbound events, see RCS message events.

Suggestion display

Reply

A Reply suggestion sends a predefined text reply back to your agent. The display text appears as a sent message in the conversation, and the PostbackData is delivered to your application.

{ "Reply": { "Text": "Yes, confirm", "PostbackData": "confirm_order_12345" } }

OpenUrl

An OpenUrl suggestion opens a URL. By default the URL opens in the device browser. To open the URL in a webview that keeps the recipient inside the messaging app, set Application to WEBVIEW and specify a WebviewViewMode.

{
  "OpenUrl": {
    "Text": "Complete payment",
    "PostbackData": "pay_12345",
    "Url": "https://example.com/pay",
    "Application": "WEBVIEW",
    "WebviewViewMode": "TALL"
  }
}

DialPhone

A DialPhone suggestion starts a phone call to the number you specify.

{ "DialPhone": { "Text": "Call support", "PostbackData": "dial_support", "PhoneNumber": "+18005551234" } }

ShowLocation

A ShowLocation suggestion opens a map at the coordinates you specify.

{
  "ShowLocation": {
    "Text": "View on map",
    "PostbackData": "show_store_loc",
    "Latitude": 47.6062,
    "Longitude": -122.3321,
    "Label": "Seattle store"
  }
}

RequestLocation

A RequestLocation suggestion prompts the recipient to share their current location. The shared coordinates arrive as a separate inbound location event.

{ "RequestLocation": { "Text": "Share location", "PostbackData": "request_user_location" } }

CreateCalendarEvent

A CreateCalendarEvent suggestion creates a calendar event on the recipient's device with the details you specify.

{
  "CreateCalendarEvent": {
    "Text": "Add to calendar",
    "PostbackData": "calendar_appt_5678",
    "Title": "Service appointment",
    "StartTime": "2026-05-28T14:00:00Z",
    "EndTime": "2026-05-28T15:00:00Z",
    "Description": "Downtown location. Arrive 10 minutes early."
  }
}

Receiving suggestion taps

When a recipient chooses a suggestion, AWS End User Messaging publishes an inbound message to your two-way SNS topic. The messageBody contains a JSON object with the suggestion type, the display text, and the postbackData you set. Route your logic on postbackData.

{
  "originationNumber": "+12065551234",
  "destinationNumber": "rcs-a1b2c3d4",
  "messageBody": "{\"type\":\"SUGGESTION\",\"text\":\"Yes, confirm\",\"postbackData\":\"confirm_order_12345\"}",
  "inboundMessageId": "msg-abc123def456"
}

For a RequestLocation tap, the recipient's coordinates arrive in a separate inbound location event. For the full inbound event reference, see RCS message events.

Suggestion limits

Best practices

For deeper guidance, see RCS best practices.

Related topics