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Sending rich RCS messages from the console - AWS End User Messaging SMS
PrerequisitesSending a rich RCS messageInput validationRelated resources

Sending rich RCS messages from the console

The AWS End User Messaging console provides a visual message composer that you can use to build and send rich RCS messages without writing code. The composer maps directly to the SendRcsMessage API and supports all content types: text messages, file messages, rich cards, and carousels. You can attach interactive suggestions to any message type, configure time-to-live (TTL) settings, and set up SMS or MMS fallback for recipients whose devices do not support RCS.

You compose and send rich messages from the Outbound test messages tab of the RCS testing interface. Messages are sent to verified RBM testers so that you can validate rendering and delivery before you integrate the SendRcsMessage API into your application.

As you configure the message, a real-time phone preview displays how the message renders on the recipient's device. You can also copy the equivalent JSON payload or AWS CLI command to use the same message structure in your application code.

For more information about the message types and their API structure, see Sending rich RCS messages. For details on suggestion types and behavior, see Configuring RCS suggestions.

Prerequisites

Before you send rich RCS messages from the console, confirm the following:

  • Your RCS agent is in Testing or Active state.

  • You have at least one verified RBM tester phone number associated with your agent. For setup instructions, see Testing RCS messages.

  • If you plan to send media files from Amazon S3, the S3 bucket must have a bucket policy that grants sms-voice.amazonaws.com read access. For details, see Sending RCS file messages.

Sending a rich RCS message

Use the following procedure to compose and send a rich RCS message from the AWS End User Messaging console.

  1. Open the AWS End User Messaging console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/sms-voice/.

  2. In the navigation pane, under Configurations, choose RCS agents.

  3. Choose the agent that you want to use as the origination identity. The agent status must be Testing or Active.

  4. Choose the Testing tab.

  5. In the RCS testing interface, choose the Outbound test messages tab.

  6. In the Send test RCS message section, for Select RBM tester, choose a verified RBM tester phone number.

  7. (Optional) For Configuration set, choose a configuration set to track message events.

  8. For Select API, choose SendRcsMessage.

  9. For Select message format, choose the message type that you want to send:

    • Text: Enter a message body (up to 3,072 characters).

    • File: For the media source, choose S3 bucket or Public URL, and then enter the S3 URI (or HTTPS URL) of the file to send. Choose Browse S3 to select a file from a bucket, or View to open the referenced file in a new browser tab. The maximum file size is 100 MB. Optionally, provide a thumbnail URL for video or PDF files.

    • Rich card: Configure the following card fields. At least one of title, description, or media is required.

      • Card orientation: Choose VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL.

      • Card title: Enter a title (up to 200 characters).

      • Card description: Enter a description (up to 2,000 characters).

      • Media URL: For the media source, choose S3 bucket or Public URL, and then enter the S3 URI (or HTTPS URL). Choose Browse S3 to select a file, or View to open it in a new browser tab. The maximum file size is 100 MB.

      • (Optional) Media thumbnail URL: A preview image shown before the full media loads.

      • (HORIZONTAL orientation only) Thumbnail alignment: Choose LEFT or RIGHT to position the thumbnail image.

      • Card suggestions: Add up to 4 suggestions that render as buttons within the card boundary. For suggestion types, see Configuring RCS suggestions.

    • Carousel: Configure the following:

      • Card width: Choose SMALL or MEDIUM.

      • Media height (all cards): Choose SHORT or MEDIUM. All cards in a carousel use the same media height.

      • Cards: Add between 2 and 10 cards. Each card includes a card title, card description, a media URL (S3 bucket or public URL, maximum 100 MB), and up to 4 card suggestions. At least one of title, description, or media is required for each card.

    • JSON: Paste a raw RcsMessageContent JSON payload directly. Choose Format JSON to format the payload. The console validates the structure and updates the phone preview in real time.

  10. (Optional) Configure media files using the S3 browser:

    1. Choose Browse S3.

    2. Select a bucket from the dropdown list.

    3. Navigate through prefixes (folders) to locate your file.

    4. Select the file. The URL field populates automatically.

    Note

    The S3 bucket must have a bucket policy that grants sms-voice.amazonaws.com read access to the objects. For the required policy, see Sending RCS file messages.

  11. (Optional) Add message-level suggestions. In the Suggestions section:

    1. Choose Add suggestion.

    2. For Suggestion type, choose one of Reply, Open URL, Dial Phone, Show Location, Request Location, or Calendar Event.

    3. Enter the required fields for the selected type. All suggestion types require a Text value (up to 25 characters) and PostbackData (up to 2,048 characters).

    4. Repeat to add up to 11 message-level suggestions.

    Message-level suggestions render as a chip list below the entire message. You can attach message-level suggestions to any content type (text, file, rich card, or carousel). For details, see Configuring RCS suggestions.

  12. (Optional) Configure the time-to-live (TTL) setting. Expand Advanced options and enter a value in the Time to live (seconds) field. Valid values range from 1 to 172,800 seconds (48 hours). A minimum value of 10 seconds is recommended.

    If the message is not delivered before the TTL expires, the service triggers a TTL expiration event. If you configured fallback, the fallback message is sent at that time.

    The Advanced options section also contains Max price (USD), Dry run, Message feedback, Protect configuration, and Context (optional key-value metadata).

  13. (Optional) Configure SMS or MMS fallback. Expand the Fallback configuration section:

    1. For Fallback channel, choose SMS or MMS.

    2. For Fallback message body, enter the message text (up to 1,600 characters). A message body is required when a fallback channel is selected.

    3. For MMS, you can also provide one or more media URLs.

    4. For Origination identity, enter the phone number or sender ID to use for the fallback SMS or MMS message. This is required when sending from an RCS agent.

    Fallback is triggered when the message cannot be delivered over RCS (for example, when the recipient's device does not support RCS or when the TTL expires). For more information, see Sending rich RCS messages.

  14. (Optional) In Advanced options, enable Dry run to validate the message structure without sending. This does not incur charges and does not deliver the message to the recipient.

  15. Review the phone preview on the right side of the composer. The preview updates in real time and shows:

    • Content rendering (text, media, card layout, carousel scroll)

    • Suggestion chips below the message

    • Card-level buttons within cards

    Note

    The preview approximates Android rendering. Display on iOS or other RCS clients might differ. The preview does not simulate suggestion selection behavior.

  16. Choose Send test message to send the message to the selected RBM tester, or use one of the following options:

    • Copy JSON: Copies the message JSON to your clipboard. Choose RcsMessageContent to copy only the content portion, or Full API request to copy the complete SendRcsMessage request body.

    • Copy CLI command: Copies the equivalent aws pinpoint-sms-voice-v2 send-rcs-message command.

Input validation

The console performs real-time validation as you configure the message. Validation errors display inline next to the affected field. The following table summarizes the validation rules.

Console validation rules
Field Rule
Phone number Must be E.164 format
Media URL Must start with https:// or s3://
Media file size Maximum 100 MB
Suggestion text Maximum 25 characters
Postback data Maximum 2,048 characters
Card title Maximum 200 characters
Card description Maximum 2,000 characters
Carousel cards Minimum 2, maximum 10
Card-level suggestions Maximum 4 per card
Message-level suggestions Maximum 11
Text message body Maximum 3,072 characters
TTL 1 to 172,800 seconds
Fallback message body Maximum 1,600 characters