Messaging Trends 2026

In 2025, RCS had its breakthrough moment, email outperformed expectations, WhatsApp became the home of Al conversations and omnichannel became the universal standard.

This year our Messaging Trends Report is a bit special. Not only do we analyze what is happening right now, but we also look at the long-term trends that we can track in the 20 years of data from our platform.

From seismic shifts in B2C messaging like the release of WhatsApp Business Messaging in 2018, to the sharp growth in RCS traffic after Apple started supporting the protocol on its devices in 2024. We also shine a light on the slow burning trends that developed through a myriad of incremental improvements, which together constitute a significant improvement to the end user experience.

Learning from the past helps us to succeed in the future as we embark on the next step of a journey where Agentic AI will play a major role in how brands meet the expectations of their customers in new and exciting ways.