Verified SMS was a Google Messages feature that showed a business name, logo and verification badge on plain SMS. Google discontinued it in 2023 in favour of RCS Business Messaging.
How it worked
Launched in 2019, Verified SMS let a registered business sign each SMS it sent. Google Messages compared the message against that signature and, when it matched, displayed the sender's name, logo and a verified badge instead of a bare number. It did not change the message itself, which stayed a 160-character text with no buttons or media, and it only worked in Google Messages on Android.
Why it was retired
Google shut Verified SMS down on 30 November 2023. The verification badge, the branded sender and the anti-spoofing it offered are all native to a verified RBM agent, which also adds rich cards, suggested replies and delivery and read events. RCS reaches iPhones too since iOS 18.1, which Verified SMS never did.
What replaces it today
A business that wants its name and logo on messages registers an RCS agent through a provider, passes Google and carrier verification, and sends over RCS with SMS fallback for handsets that cannot receive it. The fallback SMS is unbranded, exactly as it was before Verified SMS existed. Fraud alerts are where the verified sender matters most.