Table of Contents
Carousels are one of RCS’s most powerful formats. They let you stack cards, images, and actions in a single swipe. I tested the same carousel on Android as well as iOS . Both worked, both looked sharp. But there were key differences in the way each platform implemented the spec.
Lesson Learned
Even as an iOS user, I found myself preferring the carousel + buttons treatment on Android. It feels cleaner and more interactive. Still, iOS has its strengths: It shows the total number of cards at the top and includes a clear privacy disclosure.
Historical Context
This split is a familiar pattern. From MMS limits to read receipts, every OS has handled messaging features differently. RCS doesn’t eliminate that; it just gives both ecosystems more room to interpret. The challenge (and opportunity) is figuring out how to design carousels that work everywhere, without dumbing them down.
What’s Next
Scan the QR code to get the full carousel demo as an RCS media message, and then tell me what you think.
RCS Builder’s Log is my running series of notes, takeaways, and experiments from building and deploying RCS in the wild.
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