Ads have now arrived in your phone’s messaging app—even if you didn’t ask for them. While Android users have dealt with RCS-based ads for a while, now iPhone users in the U.S. are starting to see them too.
A recent Reddit post showed an iPhone user receiving an RCS message from the Los Angeles Rams, complete with a swipeable ad carousel promoting game tickets. These ads come through RCS Business Messaging, a system that allows companies to send promotional messages directly into users’ default messaging apps.
The rise in ads follows Apple’s recent adoption of RCS. Google says over 1 billion RCS messages are now sent daily in the U.S., giving marketers a large audience.
With new partnerships—like one between Clerk Chat, Google, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T—RCS ads now allow users to swipe through offers, make purchases, and chat with AI-powered agents inside the app.
But there’s a catch: users can’t clearly opt out of these ads. Screenshots show no obvious unsubscribe option, frustrating those who never signed up for marketing messages in their personal chat space.
This system may benefit businesses, but it hurts the user experience—especially as ads become more frequent and harder to ignore. Whether you’re on Android or iPhone, your inbox may now be another space for unwanted ads.
