Launch approval

Note: To launch an agent using the RBM Management API, refer to the Submit agent for launch, Look up an agent's launch status, and Add additional carriers to an agent launch documentation.

When you request to launch an agent, it undergoes a review that includes brand verification and an assessment of your agent's assets. This process is managed by Google, carriers, or both, depending on which carriers you've selected for launch. See Google-managed vs. Carrier-managed launches for more information.

Google-managed launches take 1–3 business days, provided these conditions are met:

• Brand approval is received within 24 hours.
• All agent assets—including a working website, Privacy Policy and Terms of Service links, and an agent preview video—are shared correctly during the agent creation process.

Once your agent is approved for launch, you'll receive a confirmation email. At this point your agent can begin sending messages.

Prerequisites

Before you can launch your agent, you need to complete the following:

Pre-launch tasks
Fill out all required agent information
Test the functionality of your agent and its associated infrastructure
Implement the STOP (or opt-out) flow
Implement a way for reviewers to access and test your agent. Please create a screen recording of your agent's messaging use case and upload it to a publicly accessible link. Make sure this recording matches the use case declared when the agent was created and clearly demonstrates the STOP functionality.

With those tasks complete, gather the following information:

Launch information
List of countries and carriers you want your agent to operate in
Name, email address, and phone number for the points of contact at your company who are responsible for the agent
(Optional) How you obtain opt-in to message users
What actions or events trigger messages to users
The types of interactions your agent will have with users
The exact message the agent responds with when a user opts out of communications
(Optional) Screenshots at publicly accessible URLs
Instructions for agent review; these could be either of the following: Instructions for how reviewers can directly access your agent on their devices Videos at publicly accessible URLs that show your agent's primary and secondary use cases, display that all links and actions work as intended, and highlight opt-out capabilities

Submit a launch request

Submitting a launch request initiates the brand verification process and a review of your agent's assets by Google, carriers, or both.

To submit a launch request, follow these steps:

1. Open the Business Communications Developer Console, sign in with your RBM partner Google Account, and click your agent.
2. In the left navigation, click Launch.
3. Click Get started.

4. Answer some questions about the state of your agent. Your agent should be ready to:

   • Communicate with users who aren't on test devices.
   • Allow users to opt out of communications.
   • Have reviewers test or review video of your agent's primary, secondary, and opt-out flows.
   Important:If your agent isn't ready for one or more of these tasks, it isn't ready to launch. To prevent delays due to missing launch information, make sure your submission includes an agent video clearly demonstrating STOP functionality and Declared Use Case. While instructions for triggering a test message can also be provided, a video submission is preferred to facilitate a faster review.

5. Click Fill out questionnaire.

6. Fill out all fields for agent information, points of contact, agent experience, and agent review with accurate information.

   Note:

   If your "multi-use" agent has one use case defined at launch and another planned for a later date, make sure to:

   1. Add the following statement to the "What type of interactions will the agent have with users?" field in the "Agent experience" section:
   • "Currently sharing the agent preview proof for only transactional/promotional use case. Selected the agent use case as multi-use because we plan to use the same agent for both transactional and promotional use cases in the future."
   2. Submit proof to the Support team that you've launched the second use case within six months of the agent's initial launch date.
   3. If you anticipate a delay, request a three-month extension from RBM Support within the initial six-month period.
   4. If you take the extension, submit proof that you've launched the second use case within the three-month grace period. If proof of the second launch is not received by the final deadline (including any extension), the agent will be converted to a single-use agent reflecting its initial launch case.
   Important: Make sure the information you input is accurate. It will be reviewed by Google, carriers, or both prior to the launch of your agent. To prevent delays due to missing launch information, make sure your submission includes an active link to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy.

7. Click Save.

8. Click Select carriers.

9. Select the carriers whose networks you want to launch the agent on.

   Note: To demo or test an RBM agent in countries or on carriers where RBM is not available, use a test device.

   When RBM becomes available on a new carrier network, you'll need to submit a launch request for your agent:

   • Using the Console (the current flow)
   • Using the RBM Management API

   The approval process will vary depending on whether the new carrier is carrier-managed or Google-managed. Carriers marked with an info icon follow their own launch approval process. You must have direct agreements with these carriers before they'll approve your agent to launch on their networks. These carriers will reject your launch if they have no contract in place with you, and they may contact you to establish a relationship.

10. Click Confirm.

11. Review the next steps, then click Confirm.

    Important: After submitting an agent for launch (especially applicable if you have selected Google-managed carriers), the brand POC mentioned in the verification info section will receive an email from [e-mail] (with the subject line "Please approve brand use for RCS Business Messaging agent: AGENT_ID") requesting an approval from them. Please reach out to the brand POC proactively and request them to reply to that email at the earliest. This is a mandatory requirement for approving launches on Google-managed carriers and faster response on the email will help expedite launch reviews.

After submitting a launch request

After submitting an agent for launch on Google-managed carriers, the brand POC will receive an email from [e-mail] (with the subject line "Please approve brand use for RCS Business Messaging agent: AGENT_ID"). Please reach out to the brand POC proactively and ask them to reply to that email as soon as possible. This step is required, and faster email responses will help expedite the launch approval.

For carrier-managed launches, the verification process can differ.

After you submit launch requests, the Launch page displays your agent's status for each selected carrier. This page may take a while to update. Once the status changes to Launched, your agent will become reachable after about 30 minutes.