The State of Messaging Report 2026

560 businesses and 1,000 consumers agree: messaging’s future is unified, conversational, and AI‑driven. And your competitors are already betting big.
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Where are businesses investing?

RCS and AI are now the center of gravity for messaging strategy. With all major US carriers on board and pricing stabilized, the once‑major hurdles are gone. RCS is officially enterprise‑ready.

Are they going from investment to implementation? Where does that leave SMS?

Find out
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Table of data showing SMS in the lead at 23% fas the messaging channel consumers prefer over Business App and WhatsApp

Which messaging channels do consumers prefer?

SMS still wins: 23% say it’s their number‑one channel over app notifications or WhatsApp. And 63% want interactive buttons, selections, and scheduling—without ever leaving the message.

Can RCS deliver the best of both worlds?

Who’s cracked it so far?

Catalyzed by AI, brands like Salesforce are unifying conversations across voice, messaging, web chat, and more—resolving >85% knowledge-based customer inquiries using AI agents.

More real-world use cases
Quote by Swati Deo, Sr. Director, Product at Salesforce: "Customers want one continuous conversation with the company, and they want you to mask all of your internal departmental silos."

Download the full report

Get the full report for the latest on:

  • A stat-backed messaging preferences snapshot
  • RCS adoption today: Key catalysts and blockers
  • When to use SMS or RCS, or a blend of both
  • Pricing and compliance
  • Real examples of RCS and AI transforming customer conversations
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“Being able to have that visibility through the tools that Bandwidth is providing makes us a better provider to our customers. And it’s super exciting, to be sure that deliverability is the best it can be.”
Caroline Coles, Director, Messaging Strategy & Operations

Related resources

Quick Guide

RCS planning playbook

Quick Guide

SMS deliverability checklist

Checklist

RCS readiness checklist