Samsung smartphone owners could be on the cusp of a potentially major change, as a new partnership with Google has left one major app on the verge of death with just 12 weeks for you to react.
Apple has made it so that most iPhone users opt for iMessage when it comes to communication – much to the chagrin of anyone who appears as a green bubble – and the rest of the world chooses instead of communicate through third-party apps like WhatsApp, especially outside of the United States.
It's something you don't really think too much about these days with so many ways to communicate with one another – and that's not even counting social media – but it can be both frustrating and disorientating if your preferred option is taken away from you without warning.
That's exactly what's happening with the in-built messaging platform on Samsung devices though, as the popular smartphone manufacturer is killing its own in-house app in favor of a Google's offering in the name of convenience.
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As reported by Forbes, Samsung confirmed over the weekend that it will be removing support for the Samsung Messages app, instead forcing everyone to use Google Messages as a replacement.
"The Samsung Messages application will be discontinued in July 2026," the statement from Samsung reads, giving a vague 12-week deadline for people to make the jump beforehand.
It's unclear how many people are already using Google Messages compared to Samsung's own service, especially as it's more convenient if you've switched between Android brands for your last few phones, yet it's bound to cause some inconvenience for those who have remained committed to the South Korean tech giant and saw no reason to change before now.
Key to the motivation behind the move is the strict nature of RCS communication, which requires all individuals to use the same platform when messaging, causing issues if users are split between Samsung and Google apps.
RCS, compared to SMS, offers people the opportunity to message over data, send high quality media, provide typing indicators, and operate group chats more seamlessly, so it's the go-to for anyone who for some reason hasn't already opted for WhatsApp.
If you've got a device that's still on Android 11 or an earlier OS then you won't be affected by this change, but anyone after that point will have to manually add the Google Messages app to their home screen as it won't automatically shift according to a warning from Samsung.