The Samsung Messages app is scheduled to be discontinued as of July 2026, according to an official announcement from the company. Samsung is also advising users to switch to Google Messages as their default application, promoting a series of feature “upgrades” they’ll get after making the switch, many of which were not available in Samsung’s app.
Android is designed to allow users to switch to their own preferred default apps. You can install a launcher to replace the stock core experience, for example, or various messaging and social apps to replace what would have been Samsung Messages as the default. Samsung actually stopped pre-loading its Messages app on devices as recently as the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Flip 6, and the Galaxy S25 Series, though you could just download it from the Galaxy Store, Samsung’s mobile app store.
The exact date of the app’s shutdown will be announced within the app at a later date. If you have an Android 11 device or lower, Samsung says you won’t be affected by this end-of-service, and Samsung Messages should still continue to work on those older devices.
Swapping over to Google Messages will actually enable quite a few new features, such as RCS messaging, which allows high-quality media sharing, group chats with iPhone users, and real-time typing indicators. Samsung also explicitly calls out improved and “powerful security” with AI scam detection and spam filters, expressive AI features, and multi-device connectivity.
Why is Samsung discontinuing its Messages app?
As of this writing, Samsung has not announced why it is discontinuing the app. However, it did say this will help “to maintain a consistent messaging experience on Android.” This move standardizes messaging across Samsung’s devices, specifically by adding RCS support, enhanced security, and Google’s new AI-driven features.
Most of Samsung’s latest devices, including the Galaxy 25 Series and above, come with Google Messages pre-installed. Oldever devices will have to download it if they haven’t already. If you’re still using Samsung Messages between now and the shutdown in July, you may receive push notifications instructing you to switch. If you do, the prompts will guide you to install Google Messages; you can also install it through Google Play. Google Messages will prompt you to set it as the default messaging app once during setup.
Sending texts via the Samsung Messages app “will no longer be possible” after the shutdown date. There is a small exception carved out “for emergency service numbers or emergency contacts defined in your device,” but otherwise, the app will be completely discontinued. You can find some solace in the fact that Google is steadily improving the experience, though. It recently added real-time location sharing, and we could see more features added in the future.
