Samsung Messages Vs. Google Messages: why change makes sense

Max Miller/SlashGear

Buying a Samsung Galaxy phone can be a confusing experience thanks to the Korean tech giant’s annoying inclusion of what appear to be duplicate apps. After unboxing your brand new Galaxy phone and booting it up, you’re faced with several calendar, clock, browser, and email apps, just to name a few. For users unfamiliar with Samsung’s Android approach, it’s confusing to sort through them. While Google’s apps are familiar to more users, Samsung’s clones offer better integration with the company’s hardware ecosystem and often offer really useful features. Even as someone who has been using Samsung phones regularly since the Galaxy S III became all the rage, I still frequently swap between apps from both companies.

The choice between Samsung Messages and Google Messages can be particularly confusing. Most users are likely to use the apps that come with their phone by default, according to a 2020 study from Meta. But when two pre-installed apps are competing for a user’s attention, it’s tempting to choose one at random. When it comes to your messaging app, this choice can have ripple effects, as you may miss out on useful communication features.

However, in the case of Samsung Messages versus Google Messages, there is a clear choice. Google Messages is here to stay and Samsung Messages has accepted defeat. After developing a closer relationship with Google in recent years, Samsung has relegated its own messaging app somewhat to the background and even offered a bespoke version of Google Messages in line with its One UI design philosophy. But more recently, Samsung made an announcement about the future of its text messaging app, waving a white flag at Google.

Even Samsung wants you to use Google Messages

Max Miller/SlashGear

Ultimately, Google Messages will be the best choice for most people, not Samsung Messages. Not only has Google done a lot of work to make its messaging app the Android equivalent of iMessage, but even Samsung would prefer you use it at this point. When I attempted to switch back to Samsung Messages while writing this article, I was greeted by the screen you see in the image above sending me back to Google Messages.

In fact, Samsung Messages will no longer be installed on any of its devices, leaving Google Messages as the clear – and only – choice between the two. The move was announced in July 2024, likely as part of Google’s broader efforts to make its implementation of RCS chats the default on Android. This means it’s the end of the road for loyal and remaining Samsung Messages users. It’s unclear whether Samsung plans to abandon the app altogether, perhaps forcing users to use Google Messages. However, even if it remains available, it will likely be fossilized in its current form without any significant updates.

We’ve seen this story unfold before. Samsung has long been wary of its reliance on Google’s software and has shipped Galaxy Watches running its own Tizen operating system for many years. This seemed to be Samsung’s way of indicating that its hardware wasn’t just a delivery mechanism for Mountain View software. Eventually, however, the chaebol aligned, adopting Google’s WearOS with the Galaxy Watch 4. Since then, we’ve seen Samsung embrace its symbiotic relationship with the search giant even further, like when it merged its Quick feature Share with Google Near. Share. The abandonment of Samsung Messages is another clear sign of this deeper connection.

It’s not all bad news for Samsung loyalists

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The main reason to choose Samsung Messages has always been its integration with other Samsung products like a Galaxy Tab tablet or Galaxy Book laptop. With One UI’s “Calls & Texts on Other Devices” feature, users can currently use the Samsung Messages app on any device to continue text conversations from their phone. This is one of the many productivity tips on Galaxy devices. However, this feature is a bit redundant since Google Messages is also cross-platform, with a tablet app and a desktop web app to expand its functionality. Full-featured apps like those Samsung is offering for the tablet version of Samsung Messages would be nice, but given Google’s vested interest in web apps through its Chrome platform, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon .

What you get from Google Messages is a singular take on RCS on Android. RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is the instant messaging protocol that Google helped to generalize on Android and iOS. Now that Samsung has joined forces with Google, it’s clear that Google Messages is the app that both companies see as the future. This is where you’re most likely to get the best RCS experience, especially when chatting with other Android users.

Not to mention, since the vast majority of Android users will now be using Google Messages, the bespoke features Google has built in will work more seamlessly. For example, you can easily schedule text messages on Android, send personalized animated emoji reactions, and much more. Google has a history of mismanaging its messaging strategy, but with Google Messages, the company seems to have developed a refreshingly clear vision.