Samsung has confirmed that the Samsung Messages app will reach its “End of Service” in July 2026 to ensure a seamless transition and maintain a consistent experience.
Why the change? #
Historically, Samsung Messages relied on individual mobile carriers to implement RCS features. This often led to an inconsistent experience where modern essentials like read receipts or high quality media sharing would not function reliably across different networks.
By moving to Google Messages, Samsung is offloading the significant burden of maintaining a legacy app that struggled to keep pace with modern standards. This strategic shift eliminates technical limitations and ensures a unified high quality experience for all Galaxy users.
Why Google Messages? #
Google Messages provides a single app that works regardless of mobile carrier rules. This allows for the fast release of the latest RCS features including end to end encryption and high quality media sharing for all users.
The addition of smart tools like Magic Compose and Gemini allows for a more helpful texting experience that the old Samsung Messages app could not support. By using this global standard Samsung ensures that Galaxy phones stay fully compatible with modern texting needs across different types of devices.
Google Messages is built to handle the newest texting standards and AI tools directly from Google. This means users get access to several helpful features that the original Samsung app could not support:
- Gemini AI Integration: You can chat with Gemini directly inside your messages to draft replies or get information without leaving the app.
- Advanced Scam Detection: Google uses AI to automatically identify and block spam texts or suspicious links to keep your inbox safe.
- Universal RCS Support: Features like typing indicators and high quality video sharing work reliably between Android and iPhone users because Google uses a global standard.
- Message Editing: You can edit a text after it has been sent to fix typos or mistakes which was a long requested feature for Galaxy users.
- Magic Compose: This tool can rewrite your texts in different styles like professional or funny to help you find the right tone for any conversation.
- Photomoji: You can turn your own photos into custom reactions and stickers to make your chats more personal.
- Group Chats: Provides more stable group conversations with typing indicators and high quality media sharing that works across different networks.
- Multi-Device Sync: Move chats between your phone, tablet, and smartwatch.
How to move your data from Samsung Messages to Google Messages? #
What about your data? #
The good news is that your data does not actually live inside the Samsung app itself. Instead, it is stored in a central database on your phone. This means that when you switch apps, Google Messages can simply read that same database and show your existing conversations automatically.
Most of your data will move over without any extra effort, including:
- Text History: All your old SMS and MMS messages will appear in the new app.
- Photos and Videos: Any media you received in your chats will still be there.
- Contacts: Your list of contacts and their names will remain the same.
However, there is one thing to keep in mind. If you are currently in the middle of an RCS chat—which is a modern chat with features like typing indicators—that specific conversation might experience a brief pause or stutter. These chats will resume and work perfectly once both you and the person you are texting have finished the switch to Google Messages.
What might not move: If you used “Advanced Messaging” (Samsung’s version of RCS), those specific encrypted chats might not transfer automatically.
Samsung already provides detailed steps through their official site at this link:
[ Switch to Google Messages ]
In case you cannot access that link for any reason, you can follow these simple steps:
- Visit [ Google Messages ] or open Google Play to download Google Messages. The first time you open Google Messages, a message appears: “To use Messages, make it your default SMS app”.
- Tap the “Set default SMS” app button.
- Select Google Messages. It is the white icon with the blue conversation bubble.
- Tap “Set as default”.
- Google Messages is now your default messaging app.
Tip: If you do not see the prompt, you can manually change the setting with these steps:
- Go to your phone settings and tap on “Apps”.
- Tap on “Choose default apps”.
- Select “SMS app” from the list.
- Tap on Messages with the Google Messages icon to set it as your default.