It's not either/or, it's RCS where you can, SMS everywhere else. SMS is universal and reliable, the floor that reaches every device. RCS is the richer successor: verified sender, your name and logo, images and buttons, read receipts, and much higher engagement, on supported phones. The right setup sends RCS and falls back to SMS automatically.
Why RCS matters now
Apple brought RCS to the iPhone, so the addressable base jumped overnight. A verified, branded RCS message, where the voter sees your campaign's name instead of an anonymous number, is both a trust signal and a deliverability advantage as carriers filter harder.
Why SMS still anchors everything
Not every phone or carrier supports RCS yet, so SMS remains the guaranteed-delivery floor. Treat RCS as the upgrade that fires when available and SMS as the fallback that always lands, one send, best format per recipient.
Frequently asked questions
Should campaigns use SMS or RCS?
Both: send RCS where supported for richer, verified, higher-engagement messages, with automatic SMS fallback so every recipient still gets the message.
Is RCS better than SMS for campaigns?
For engagement and trust, yes, verified branding, media, higher open and response rates. But SMS reaches every phone, so you use RCS as the upgrade and SMS as the universal floor.
Informational, not legal advice.
Keep reading: RCS for campaigns: the richer text explained and SMS vs MMS vs RCS: which format to use.