Key Takeaways
- Samsung Messages will no longer come pre-installed on new Galaxy smartphones, leaving Google Messages as the only option.
- While users can still download Samsung Messages from the Galaxy Store, there is a push to move to Google Messages.
- Samsung Messages will still be preloaded on devices in Europe and Canada, but not in the US.
As first reported by 9to5Google, Samsung Messages will no longer come pre-installed on new Galaxy phones. Google Messages is already Samsung’s go-to messaging app, and will be the only messaging app that comes pre-installed on new Galaxy phones with the RCS feature turned on by default. This means that when you take your Galaxy phone out of the box, you won’t find the Samsung Messages app.
Samsung Messages will still be available to download from the Galaxy Store if that’s your messaging app of choice, but the intention is clearly to encourage users to use Google Messages. The change isn’t entirely global, however, and users in Europe and Canada will still have Samsung Messages pre-installed on their new Galaxy smartphones.
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Samsung Messages will no longer be available on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6
Google Messages is already the default option on new phones.
The change was first spotted by analyst Max Weinbach, who posted a screenshot of a message he found in the Samsung Members app to X.
As the message states, for the Flip 6 and Fold 6 and all models after that, the Samsung Messages app will no longer be preloaded on the device and will no longer be selectable as the default messaging device. If you want to use it, you’ll need to download it from the Galaxy Store and set it as your default. It also states that some features will be removed from the Samsung Messages app going forward, but it’s not clear what those features specifically are.
Google Messages has already been the default option on Galaxy smartphones since the Samsung Galaxy S22, but you can also change the pre-installed Samsung Messages app to be the default option instead. However, this option isn’t available on all new smartphones unless you manually install the Samsung Messages app.
Max Weinbach also mentioned in the post that RCS messaging will be turned on by default in Google Messages. Samsung Messages supported RCS, but the functionality varied by carrier, and for many users, the RCS chat feature disappeared. It is not clear if this is the reason for deprecating the app or if Google is trying to make Google Messages the default RCS messaging app.
Samsung Messages still available outside the US
The app will still be preloaded in Europe and Canada
According to Android expert Mishaal Rahman, Samsung Messages will continue to be pre-installed in Canada and Europe, but only units sold in the US will no longer come with the Samsung Messages app.
This means that if you pre-order the new Samsung Galaxy Fold 6 or Samsung Galaxy Flip 6 outside the US, you should have the option to select Samsung Messages as your default messaging app without having to download it from the Galaxy Store. However, with Samsung having removed several features from the Samsung Messages app and now placing more emphasis on Google Messages, it may not be long before the app is discontinued completely.
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