Send RCS message

Fire a one-off RCS message to one recipient. For bulk sends use Broadcasts. This endpoint is for the programmatic side (order shipped, OTP, support reply).

One endpoint, two body shapes. Presence of template_id in the body picks the send path:

POST /api/v1/rcs/messages/send
│
├── body has template_id  →  stored-template path
│                              (loads your approved template, fills
│                               its variables, sends)
│
└── body has message      →  composed path
                               (sends the content you built in
                                the body)

Auth: Authorization: Bearer <token>, a session JWT or an API key with the messages:send scope. See Authentication.
Operators and owners can send; viewers get 403 not_operator.
Billing: prepaid balance is checked before the send, and the message is charged once the network accepts it. A message the network refuses is not charged; one that fails after it was accepted is refunded automatically.

There is no /api/v1/rcs/send

Earlier versions of this page named POST /api/v1/rcs/send and a /rcs/send-template alias. Neither exists on the RCS Panel API. Use POST /api/v1/rcs/messages/send for both shapes.

Picking a bot (multi-bot accounts)

Pass bot_id in the body to choose which bot sends:

{
  "to":      "+919876543210",
  "bot_id":  "9c1b7f4e-2a11-4c8e-8e0e-3f5d1b2c9e01",
  "message": { "type": "text", "text": "..." }
}

With template_id, bot_id is optional: the template's own bot sends it. If you do pass one and it is a different bot, the request is refused with 400 template_bot_mismatch.
With message, leaving bot_id out uses your default bot.

The bot must be active, or you get 403 with code = "bot_not_active". Team members can only send from bots assigned to them.

Prerequisites

An active bot. Any active bot works here, whatever it is registered for. Unlike the broadcast endpoints, this one is not restricted by the bot's carrier registration, a Transactional or OTP bot can use it without limitation, and it is the endpoint those bots are meant to be driven through. See What your bot is registered to send.
A Promotional bot can only send between 7:00am and 10:00pm IST. Outside that window you get 403 outside_promotional_window.
Enough wallet balance for one message (or postpaid billing).

Shape 1, Stored template (recommended)

For messages that fit a template you have already submitted and had approved. You author and review the template once, and every send is a tiny payload.

POST /api/v1/rcs/messages/send
Authorization: Bearer <token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "to":          "+919876543210",
  "template_id": "1f7a2c4e-9b0d-4e1a-8c3f-5d6e7f8a9b0c",
  "variables":   ["Rahul", "A-1042"]
}

Body fields

Field	Type	Required	Notes
`to`	string	yes	E.164 (`+919876543210`)
`template_id`	uuid	yes	An approved template from `/rcs/templates`
`variables`	list or object	if the template has any	Values for `{{1}}`, `{{2}}` … in the template. See below.
`bot_id`	uuid	no	Defaults to the template's own bot

How variables are filled

A template with this message text:

Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has shipped.

can be sent with variables in either form:

Form	Example
A list, fills `{{1}}`, `{{2}}` … in order	`["Rahul", "A-1042"]`
An object keyed by number	`{"1": "Rahul", "2": "A-1042"}`

and the recipient gets Hi Rahul, your order A-1042 has shipped.

Variables are filled in the message text, card titles and descriptions, button labels, and at the end of a button link. A value in a link is encoded for a web address (A 1/2 becomes A%201%2F2 in the path, a query value after a ?). Numbers and booleans are sent as text.

Rules

Every variable the template uses needs a non-empty value. If one is missing, nothing is sent or charged:

{
  "success": false,
  "code":    "missing_variables",
  "missing": ["{{2}}"],
  "message": "This template needs a value for {{2}}. Send them in 'variables'."
}

The limits apply after filling: message text 2,000 characters, card title 200, card description 2,000, button label 25. A value that pushes a field over returns 400 variable_too_long.
A variables value that is neither a list nor an object, or an object key that is not a number from 1 to 10, returns 400 invalid_variables.
The template must be approved. A pending or rejected template returns 403 with code = "template_not_approved".

Shape 2, Composed message

For content that varies structurally per send. Put the content in message, in the same shape as a template's components.

POST /api/v1/rcs/messages/send
Authorization: Bearer <token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "to":      "+919876543210",
  "message": { "type": "text", "text": "Your OTP is 483920. Valid for 5 minutes." }
}

Body fields

Field	Type	Required	Notes
`to`	string	yes	E.164
`message`	object	yes	`type` `text`, `card` or `multiple_cards`, with its fields and `suggestions`. See Templates for the exact shapes
`bot_id`	uuid	no	Defaults to your default bot

The content is checked against the same limits as a template. A violation returns 400 with an errors[] array listing every problem.

Response (both shapes)

{
  "success":    true,
  "message_id": "d8a7…",
  "bot_id":     "9c1b7f4e-2a11-4c8e-8e0e-3f5d1b2c9e01",
  "cost":       0.3,
  "sent_at":    "2026-09-19T10:12:03Z"
}

If you send faster than the bot's speed, the extra messages are accepted and queued instead of refused. That response is 202 with "status": "queued", and it goes out within seconds. Only when the queue is full do you get 429 with a Retry-After header.

Errors

HTTP	Code	Meaning
400		`to` is missing, or neither `template_id` nor `message` was sent
400	`invalid_template_id`	`template_id` is not a template id
404	`template_not_found`	No template with that id on your account
403	`template_not_approved`	The template is not approved yet
400	`template_bot_mismatch`	"This template belongs to another bot. Send it from that bot, or leave bot_id out."
400	`missing_variables`	A template variable has no value; `missing` lists them
400	`variable_too_long`	A filled field is over its limit
400	`invalid_variables`	`variables` is malformed
400	`no_bot`	No `bot_id` and no default bot
403	`bot_not_active`	The bot is not active
402	`insufficient_balance`	Prepaid balance is below one message
403	`recipient_opted_out`	The recipient is on your opt-out list
403	`outside_promotional_window`	Promotional bot, outside 7:00am to 10:00pm IST
502		The carrier refused the message, with a friendly `message`, `detail` and `category`

See the Errors reference for the full list.

Examples, curl

Stored template with variables:

curl -X POST https://api.splashifypro.com/api/v1/rcs/messages/send \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPLASHIFY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to":          "+919876543210",
    "template_id": "1f7a2c4e-9b0d-4e1a-8c3f-5d6e7f8a9b0c",
    "variables":   {"1": "Rahul", "2": "A-1042"}
  }'

Composed text:

curl -X POST https://api.splashifypro.com/api/v1/rcs/messages/send \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPLASHIFY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to":      "+919876543210",
    "message": { "type": "text", "text": "Your OTP is 483920. Valid for 5 minutes." }
  }'

Examples, Node.js

// Send an approved template to one recipient with variable values.
const res = await fetch("https://api.splashifypro.com/api/v1/rcs/messages/send", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SPLASHIFY_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    to:          order.customer_phone,          // "+919876543210"
    template_id: "1f7a2c4e-9b0d-4e1a-8c3f-5d6e7f8a9b0c",
    variables:   [order.customer_name, order.id],
  }),
});
const { success, message_id, message } = await res.json();
if (!success) throw new Error(message);
console.log("Sent, message id:", message_id);

Examples, Python

import os, requests

resp = requests.post(
    "https://api.splashifypro.com/api/v1/rcs/messages/send",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SPLASHIFY_API_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "to":          order["customer_phone"],
        "template_id": "1f7a2c4e-9b0d-4e1a-8c3f-5d6e7f8a9b0c",
        "variables":   [order["customer_name"], str(order["id"])],
    },
    timeout=30,
)
data = resp.json()
assert data["success"], data["message"]

When to use which shape

You want to	Use
Send the same shape with per-recipient text (name, order #, tracking link)	Template shape (`template_id` + `variables`)
Send freshly-composed content that varies structurally	Composed shape (`message`)
Send at scale to thousands / lakhs of recipients	Broadcasts, not this endpoint
Send a rich card with static content (no variables)	Template shape (author once, reuse forever)

Send RCS message

Picking a bot (multi-bot accounts)#

Prerequisites#

Shape 1, Stored template (recommended)#

Body fields#

How variables are filled#

Rules#

Shape 2, Composed message#

Body fields#

Response (both shapes)#

Errors#

Examples, curl#

Examples, Node.js#

Examples, Python#

When to use which shape#

Picking a bot (multi-bot accounts)

Prerequisites

Shape 1, Stored template (recommended)

Body fields

How variables are filled

Rules

Shape 2, Composed message

Body fields

Response (both shapes)

Errors

Examples, curl

Examples, Node.js

Examples, Python

When to use which shape