Samsung Messages has been removed from new Galaxy phones in the US

It looks like Samsung Messages will no longer come pre-installed on Galaxy phones in the US. Galaxy devices will now rely entirely on Google Messages. The app has been losing key features for a while now, so this change comes as no surprise. Samsung Messages is still available for download, but that could change soon.

For quite some time now, many Android phones have been using Google Messages as their default messaging app. During that time, Samsung Messages was always the default app on Galaxy phones. That changed with the Galaxy S21 series, where Google Messages was set as the default, although Samsung Messages still came pre-installed. However, as Max Weinbach noticed, Samsung has completely removed its messaging app from the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6.

Next-gen Galaxy phones only come with Google Messages in the US; no more Samsung Messages

The company is rolling out this change in the United States first. Mishaal Rahman confirmed that the Canadian and European versions come with Samsung Messages preloaded. However, Google Messages remains the default messaging app in those regions.

Users in the US can still download Samsung Messages from the Galaxy Store. But, as the South Korean giant’s latest moves suggest a possible shutdown of Samsung Messages, it is recommended to switch to Google Messages. Additionally, Samsung Messages no longer offers RCS support, one of the most important messaging features today. Its description in the Galaxy Store even states that “some features will be excluded” from the app.

Last year, several carriers in the US turned off RCS support for Samsung Messages. They began requiring users to use their own messaging apps or switch to Google Messages to take advantage of it. The latter offers full RCS support, which is especially important now that iMessage will support the standard in iOS 18. Finally, it’s likely that future Galaxy devices will ship without the Samsung Messages app preloaded in more regions.