Owners of Samsung smartphones and other devices are being advised to transition to Google Messages to maintain a consistent messaging experience on Android. Switching to Google Messages will give users access to updates like the latest artificial intelligence features from Google's Gemini, including an experimental feature called 'Remix' to generate images during conversations and AI-powered reply suggestions. It will also provide the ability to share higher quality photos between Android and Apple iOS devices through RCS-enabled messages.
To switch to Google Messages, users should download the Google Messages app from the Play Store if it's not already installed and then set it as their default messaging application. Some users may receive an in-app notification to guide them through the process. Users of older Android operating systems dating back to Android 11 or older will not be impacted by the end of Samsung Messages. To check what Android OS you have on a Samsung device, open the settings app, click on 'software information' and scroll to 'Android version.' Owners of Samsung's latest Galaxy 26 lineup and other newer phones cannot download the Samsung Messages app from the Galaxy Store today. Samsung said users can check their app for the exact date for when service will go offline.
All Samsung Galaxy phones operate on Google's Android operating system. It remains unclear whether Samsung's guidance for discontinuing Samsung Messages and transitioning to Google Messages applies globally beyond the U.S., and the exact date in July when Samsung Messages service will go offline has not been specified.