MESSAGE, CONVERSATION, and NEWSLETTER — each with specific content shapes and billing rules. RCS has its own independent tier — volume does not combine with email or SMS.
Send shapes
Text
MESSAGE — Basic or Single depending on length and suggestions.
Rich card
MESSAGE — Single Message (standalone card).
Carousel
MESSAGE — Single Message (multi-card layout).
Conversation
CONVERSATION — 24-hour session billing.
Newsletter
NEWSLETTER — MAU per subscriber per month; no per-message charge.
Channel message types
| Type | Typical use |
|---|---|
| MESSAGE | One-shot outbound: alerts, OTP follow-ups, transactional notifications |
| CONVERSATION | 24-hour session after user engagement; supports both outbound messages and user replies within the window |
| NEWSLETTER | Bulk rich campaigns to opted-in subscribers; requires newsletter enablement on the agent |
Billing units
| RCS usage | Message type | Billing | Counts toward tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text ≤ 160 chars, no suggestions, no rich body | MESSAGE | Basic | Yes |
| Text > 160 chars, or rich card / carousel / media / suggestions | MESSAGE | Single | Yes |
| Traffic inside an active 24-hour session | CONVERSATION | Conversation | Yes |
| Newsletter sends | NEWSLETTER | MAU — one flat charge per subscriber per month; no per-message charge | Yes |
Traffic classification
traffic_type (for example TRANSACTION, PROMOTION) drives policy and routing expectations. Align it with how carriers and regulators classify your content — this is a compliance requirement, not just an API field.
Email contrast
Email does not use a Basic vs Single split. All email sends — action-based and subscription — bill as Basic Message. See Email capabilities.Related
Billing (RCS)
RCS-specific billing rules in detail.
Billing units
Prepaid model and tier volume.
RCS agents
Agent approval and newsletter enablement.
Messages API
Payload examples for every send shape.