A long code and a 10DLC number are the same thing here: an ordinary 10-digit number registered for business texting.
What actually sends an RCS message
An RCS message is not sent from a long code, a toll-free number or a short code. It is sent from an RBM agent that Google and the carriers have verified, and it arrives showing your name, logo and a verification checkmark instead of digits. What is a verified sender covers how that identity is established.
Where your number still matters
- Fallback. When a recipient cannot receive RCS, the same message is delivered as SMS or MMS, and that leg is sent from a real number. How RCS falls back to SMS has the detail.
- Registration. The fallback number has to be registered, or the fallback is filtered. A long code needs 10DLC brand and campaign registration, and a toll-free number needs toll-free verification.
- Voice. A local or toll-free number is also the line customers can call.
RCS with a 10DLC long code
This is the most common setup. The long code is registered with The Campaign Registry, brand first and then each campaign, and it carries the SMS and MMS leg. Brand approval is often the same day, and campaign vetting usually takes a few business days. What is 10DLC covers the mechanics and the fees, and 10DLC vs RCS explains why an RCS programme still needs it.
RCS with a toll-free number
A text-enabled toll-free number does the same fallback job once it has passed toll-free verification, and it doubles as a national voice line. It suits support lines and national alerts, where one number should serve both calls and texts.
RCS with a short code
If you already hold a short code, it can keep serving the fallback role. Few programmes need a new one for this. On SimplyRCS a short code rents for $500 a month against $0.50 for a long code or a toll-free number, and it takes weeks to provision carrier by carrier.
Which number to put under your RCS agent
| 10DLC long code | Toll-free number | Short code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carries the SMS and MMS fallback | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Approval | Brand and campaign registration with The Campaign Registry | Toll-free verification | Carrier provisioning and review |
| Time to live | Days, once the campaign is vetted | Days, once verified | Weeks, provisioned carrier by carrier |
| Voice calls | Yes | Yes, free to the caller | No |
| Typical fit | Local businesses, conversational two-way texting | Support lines, national alerts | Very high volume |
| Number rental on SimplyRCS | $0.50 a month | $0.50 a month | $500 a month |
Adding RCS to the number you already use
Nothing about the number changes. Keep its registration current, and start the RCS agent verification alongside it instead of after it, because the two are separate submissions reviewed by different parties. RCS agent verification typically runs one to three weeks, and longer for regulated categories. SimplyRCS files the number registration and the RCS agent approval from one company profile, and the channels page shows how the sender types sit side by side.
- RCS is sent by a verified agent, not by a phone number.
- A 10DLC long code, a toll-free number or a short code carries the SMS and MMS fallback.
- The fallback number must be registered: 10DLC registration for a long code, toll-free verification for a toll-free number.
- Number registration and RCS agent verification are separate approvals and should run in parallel.
- The number you already use does not have to change when RCS is added.