A Carousel is a horizontally swipeable set of 2–10 cards, each with its own title, description, and media. Use it to showcase several products, options, or categories in one message.
Carousels are always billed at the Rich Media tier (flat rate per message). See Rcs Billing Limits And Specs for details.
How to build a Carousel
1. Select the message type
In the Conversation stepper, either:
- Select Carousel from the message type radio buttons, or
- Select + Content → Carousel
The composer creates two cards by default (tabs #1 and #2), with tab #1 active.
2. Configure each card
For every card, fill in:
| Field | Required? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Yes | Up to 200 characters. Leaving it blank triggers a validation error. |
| Description | No | Up to 2,000 characters. Supports Liquid merge tags. |
| Media | No | Image or video attachment (see file limits below) |
Select the Card Width from the dropdown: Small (default) or Medium. This applies to all cards.
Orientation and Alignment settings from Rich Cards don't apply to Carousels. The only layout option is Card Width.
3. Upload media
Each card supports one media attachment.
File size limits (stricter than standalone Rich Cards):
| Media | Max size |
|---|---|
| Image (JPEG, PNG, GIF) | 1 MB |
| Video (MP4) | 5 MB |
These limits are carrier-enforced. Files exceeding them may fail to deliver even if the platform accepts the upload.
4. Add suggestions (optional)
Suggestions in a Carousel apply to all cards at once; they show on every card, not per-card. Select the kebab menu on any card → Add Suggested Action or Add Suggested Reply.
Suggestion limits depend on card width and content:
| Card Width | Title/Description present? | Max suggestions |
|---|---|---|
| Small | No | 4 |
| Small | Yes | 3 |
| Medium | No | 3 |
| Medium | Yes | 2 |
If you change card width or add a title after adding suggestions, the allowed count may decrease. Remove excess suggestions if prompted.
For the full setup guide, see Add Suggested Actions And Replies.
Managing cards
Adding cards
Select the + icon next to the card tabs. This disables at 10 cards (the max).
Deleting cards
Kebab menu → Delete. This option grays out when only 2 cards remain (the min). Confirms with: "Deleting this carousel card will remove all its associated components. This action can't be undone."
Reordering cards
Drag and drop card tabs. Tabs re-number automatically. The mobile preview updates instantly.
Deleting the entire Carousel
Select the trash icon on the Carousel header. Confirms with: "Deleting this carousel will remove all its rich cards and associated content, including any suggested replies, and actions. This can't be undone."
Specs at a glance
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Cards | 2 min, 10 max |
| Card title | 200 characters (required) |
| Card description | 2,000 characters (optional) |
| Image per card | 1 MB max |
| Video per card | 5 MB max |
| Billing | Rich Media (flat rate) |
Full reference: Rcs Billing Limits And Specs
Tips
- Dynamic fields. Merge tags work in card descriptions but not titles. The character counter shows "UNKNOWN" when merge tags are present.
- Fallback. Only the first card populates the fallback. Suggested actions and replies don't carry over. Review card #1 closely, as it's the only card non-RCS devices see.
- Preview. The mobile preview shows the carousel as horizontally scrollable cards, matching the end-user experience. Available in Conversation, Review, and View page.
- Send Test. Always test on a device before broadcasting to verify card rendering and swipe behavior.