Marketers keep asking two versions of the same question. Can a business send iMessage, so texts show up blue on iPhones? And now that iPhones support RCS, should they skip SMS and send RCS? Both are possible. The answer depends on who starts the conversation, how many new people you reach each day, and whether your contacts are in the US.
This post answers the common questions directly: what each channel costs, how data use works, what happens on Android, where RCS is supported, and what changes outside the US. We make Ready, so we also explain where our blue line fits and what we don't sell. We don't offer RCS today, and we say so below.
Can a business legally and practically use iMessage?
Yes, through three routes. They behave differently.
1. A personal Apple ID on a phone or Mac. Some small teams text customers from an owner's iPhone. That works for one person having one-to-one conversations. It stops working once you need a shared inbox, an audit trail, or more than a handful of new contacts a day. Apple built consumer iMessage for people, not for business sending, so treat any "iMessage marketing" setup running on a personal account as fragile.
2. Apple Messages for Business. This is Apple's official service. The customer starts the chat, usually by tapping a button on your website, in Maps or in Search. Your business can't send the first message. It needs Apple's approval and a messaging service provider. It suits support desks and doesn't work for outreach. Our comparison of iMessage for business and Apple Messages for Business covers the setup differences.
3. A business iMessage line that can text first. Ready's blue line works this way. Texts go out as iMessage, show up blue on iPhones, and display your business name and photo. The business can start the conversation, within limits.
Can a business use RCS?
Yes. RCS Business Messaging (RBM) is the branded, verified form of RCS. It supports your logo, a verified sender badge, rich cards and suggested-reply buttons. A few conditions apply:
- Brand verification. You register an "agent" and get it approved before it can send.
- Carrier-by-carrier launch. Each carrier has to support business RCS for your messages to arrive as RCS on its subscribers' phones.
- iPhone support is newer. Apple added RCS to iPhone in 2024. Branded business RCS on iPhone has been arriving gradually by carrier and region, so it isn't universal yet.
- You still need a fallback. If the recipient's phone, carrier or connection doesn't support RCS, the message has to go another way, almost always SMS.
That fallback requirement shapes the economics. Most teams adding RCS still run a fully registered SMS program underneath it. Our post on RCS business messaging and how to back it up with SMS explains the fallback mechanics. What's real about RCS in 2026 covers why it won't replace SMS yet.
We don't sell RCS. If rich cards and carousels are central to your plan, choose a provider that offers RBM. Keep SMS running as the fallback either way.
How the channels compare
| Consumer iMessage | Apple Messages for Business | Ready blue line | RCS Business Messaging | SMS (10DLC) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business can text first | Yes, from a personal device | No, the customer starts | Yes, up to 50 new conversations per line per day | Yes | Yes |
| US carrier registration | No | No | No 10DLC needed | Agent verification | 10DLC brand + campaign |
| Reaches Android | No | No | Through your regular number as SMS | Yes, where supported | Yes |
| Runs over | Data | Data | Data (iMessage) | Data | Carrier SMS channel |
| Branded sender | No | Yes | Business name and photo | Yes, verified | No |
What does each one cost?
Blue line pricing on Ready
- $99 a month per line
- 6 cents a segment for each text sent
- Replies to a blue line are also 6 cents a segment. Reactions are free.
- Texts to Android phones go from the account's regular number. If the account already had a number they bill at the regular text price; if the blue line came with its green number, they bill at 6 cents a segment once the account registers. If the account has no number, a blue line comes with a green one.
Worked example: one blue line versus SMS
These are assumptions for illustration, not customer data. A team sends 600 one-segment texts in a month and gets 400 one-segment replies, all with iPhone users.
- Blue line: (600 + 400) × $0.06 = $60, plus $99 for the line = $159 a month
- Same volume over SMS on Ready Standard: 1,000 segments × $0.0075 = $8, plus 1,000 × $0.0045 in carrier fees. TCPA/DNC scrubbing and landline validation add $0.003 per segment each if you switch them on. Both are off by default.
SMS is clearly cheaper per message. People pay more for the blue line because iPhone users see a blue text with the business's name and photo, and teams turn it on hoping more people recognize and answer it. We don't publish a reply-rate lift as a statistic. Test it against your own SMS numbers.
SMS registration costs
SMS on a 10DLC number needs carrier registration. On Ready, the charge at submit is the first month, $25. After that, the monthly cost is $25/mo for registration + $2 per number. Most approvals take 2 to 7 days. The full fee breakdown is in 10DLC cost: every fee explained.
RCS pricing
RCS pricing varies by provider and message type. Some providers bill per message and some per conversation, and rich media may cost more. Ask any RCS vendor for both the RCS rate and the SMS fallback rate, because you'll pay both.
Does iMessage or RCS use the recipient's data?
Yes. Both run over a data connection, cellular or Wi-Fi. SMS uses the carrier's text channel. In practice:
- Text-only messages are tiny. Photos and video use more data.
- The recipient isn't charged per message for iMessage or RCS. On an old capped plan, SMS could count against a text allowance. That rarely matters on today's US plans.
- No data connection can mean a delay. If an iPhone is offline or iMessage is turned off, a blue message may not arrive right away. That's another reason to keep a registered SMS number on the account.
What happens with Android users?
iMessage doesn't exist on Android. Any iMessage strategy reaches only part of your list. On Ready, contacts on Android get your text as SMS from the account's regular number. If the account already had that number, it bills at the regular text price; if the number came with the blue line, it bills at 6 cents a segment once the account registers. Blue and green replies land in the same inbox thread, including reactions, typing indicators and group chats. You don't run two inboxes.
RCS does reach Android, through Google Messages and carrier support. That's its main advantage over iMessage for broad outreach, as long as the carrier and device support it.
What are the limits on blue line sending?
Spam rules shape the blue line's limits:
- Unlimited texting with people you already talk to.
- Up to 50 new conversations per line per day. At the full cap every day, one line reaches about 1,500 new people a month (50 × 30).
- Up to 2 texts to someone until they reply.
- Photos only after they reply.
- More new people a day means another line. "Add lines automatically" adds one when the day's new-conversation allowance is used up.
Campaigns and drip campaigns send from regular numbers, not the blue line. A 20,000-contact promo goes out over registered SMS, and the blue line handles the conversations that follow. Set expectations with whoever owns the marketing calendar.
Consent rules still apply on every channel. Text people who opted in or who replied to you. Make cold first contact by phone or mail, not by text. The color of the bubble doesn't change TCPA exposure. Compliance is ultimately the sender's responsibility.
Do iMessage and RCS work internationally?
iMessage is global from the user's side. Any iPhone user anywhere with data and iMessage turned on can receive one. Business iMessage services set their own destination rules, though. Check the blue line guide for which destinations a line can text before you plan around non-US contacts.
RCS Business Messaging depends on the country and carrier. A brand that is live in one market may not be live in the next. Confirm coverage country by country with your RCS provider.
SMS on 10DLC is a US registration system. It covers sending from US long codes to US carriers. Other countries have their own rules, explained in does 10DLC apply outside the US.
In short, none of these channels removes international complexity. They spread it across different gatekeepers.
Where Ready fits, and where it doesn't
Ready is a messaging API and platform for SMS and iMessage. Ecommerce stores, clinics, agencies, local businesses, nonprofits and software platforms use it for their own customers. A typical setup looks like this:
- A registered SMS number for campaigns, drip campaigns and Android contacts. Registration happens in-app, and STOP handling, quiet hours and optional litigator/DNC scrubbing are built in.
- A blue line for one-to-one conversations with iPhone users. It needs no 10DLC registration, so it can start texting as soon as it's set up.
- One inbox for both, also available in GoHighLevel if that's your CRM.
Developers can send blue texts through the blue line API, and the messages API handles SMS.
Ready isn't the right fit if you need RCS rich cards. It also isn't the right fit if every one of your sends is a large campaign. Campaigns go over SMS, and if you want the lowest per-segment price, raw carrier APIs charge less per segment than our Standard rate.
The practical takeaway
- Use Apple Messages for Business if customers come to you.
- Use a blue line if you want to start iPhone conversations with a recognizable name and photo, at about 50 new people per line per day.
- Use RCS if you need rich, branded content on Android and can manage per-carrier and per-country coverage.
- Keep registered SMS under all three for campaigns, Android and fallback.
To try Ready, sign up and add a card on file. Your first 20 texts are free and must be one-to-one sends, so use them before you pay for registration. Every price is on our pricing page.