Saturday, November 9, 2024

Samsung wants you to move to Google Messages, and it’s for the best

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What you need to know

  • Starting with the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, the Samsung Messages app is no longer pre-installed on Samsung devices. 
  • Now, the company appears to be prompting users to switch to Google Messages as their default SMS app.
  • While the Samsung Messages app is not immediately being discontinued entirely, all signs point to Google Messages being the future messaging app of One UI. 

For better or for worse, using a Samsung Galaxy phone has historically meant living with duplicate default apps. Of course, Google includes default versions of its own apps, like the Chrome browser. On top of that, Samsung might include an alternate app as part of its One UI skin for Android, like Samsung Internet. You’ll notice quickly after switching to a Galaxy phone that there are multiple apps for the same function, and this is far less common on other phones.

One example is Samsung Messages, which serves as an SMS app in addition to Google Messages. Originally, Samsung Messages was set as the default for Galaxy devices, but that changed a few years ago. Even after Samsung started shipping Galaxy phones with Google Messages as the default SMS app, the Samsung Messages app was still pre-installed as an alternative. That finally changed this summer, when the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 released without Samsung Messages pre-installed.

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