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Why does RCS need a Universal Profile?
Early RCS deployments used operator-specific feature sets that did not interwork, so a rich message could fall back to plain SMS when the two users were on different networks. The GSMA introduced the Universal Profile in 2016 as one shared feature set. Operators, handset makers and messaging apps implement it so a conversation behaves the same wherever the users are.
What does the Universal Profile cover?
One-to-one and group chat, file and media transfer, location sharing, audio messages, read receipts and typing indicators, capability discovery — whether the other party can receive RCS — and the interfaces for RCS Business Messaging, which lets verified brands send rich cards, carousels and suggested replies through a Messaging as a Platform (MaaP) layer. Each new version adds features while staying interoperable with the earlier ones.
What changed in Universal Profile 3.0?
Universal Profile 3.0, published by the GSMA in March 2025, adds end-to-end encryption for RCS conversations between different platforms, based on the IETF Messaging Layer Security protocol (MLS, RFC 9420). Encryption between users of different apps depends on each app vendor shipping support, so the rollout is gradual.
What does the Universal Profile mean for businesses?
Brands do not implement the Universal Profile themselves — operator networks and messaging apps do. What a business needs is an RCS Business Messaging sender: a verified agent with its logo, colour and description, approved in each market, plus a fallback to SMS for handsets that cannot receive RCS. BroadNet provides RCS Business Messaging with verified senders and automatic SMS fallback.