End of an era: Samsung is killing Samsung Messages in favor of Google Messages

Samsung Messages is going away this July, and Samsung is touting Gemini AI as one of the main reasons you should use Google Messages instead.

If you're a heavy user of the Samsung Messages app on your Galaxy watch, smartphone, or tablet, there's some bad news: Samsung is killing the app by July 2026. After that date, the application will no longer send or receive standard messages, except for emergency service numbers or emergency contacts defined in your device. The company is actively advising users to switch to Google Messages.

In its End of Service announcement, Samsung said an in-app notification will help guide you through the process of making the switch. For those who want to do it manually you will need to open or download Google Messages from the Play Store. When you first open it, a prompt asks to make it your default SMS app. Tapping that button and selecting Google Messages from the list makes the change permanent.

According to the Korean tech giant, killing its own messaging client is about its commitment to "maintain a consistent messaging experience on Android". The company says that by switching to Google Messages, users will enjoy things like powerful security through AI-powered scam detection and spam filtering.

The switch also brings universal RCS messaging, enabling high-quality media sharing and typing indicators with both Android and iOS users. You will also get expressive AI features powered by Gemini for remixing photos and generating smart replies, along with multi-device connectivity for syncing chats between your phone, tablet, or watch.

That said, users on Android 11 or lower will not be affected by this change. Samsung also noted that Galaxy watches launched before the Galaxy Watch4, which run Tizen OS, will no longer be able to view full message conversation histories in the app. These older watches can, however, still send and read new text messages as they arrive.

Samsung Messages has been the stock client on Samsung phones since the early days of the Galaxy line around 2009/2010. The app got a big upgrade with the launch of One UI in 2019, which introduced its now-famous one-handed focus and pitch-black dark mode.

But by 2021, it was already clear that the app might not be around for much longer as Samsung started making Google Messages the default messaging app out of the box, starting with the Galaxy S21 series. Then in July 2024, the company announced it would stop pre-installing Samsung Messages on newer devices in certain regions, starting with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. Several months later, the Galaxy S25 series launched entirely without the Samsung Messages app pre-installed.

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Posted Monday 6 April 2026 at 6:44 am AEST (my time).

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