NEW YORK (Kashmir English): The Samsung Messages app is going to be shut down for users in the US this coming July. This means that all Galaxy users who are still using the service will need to migrate to another messaging app.
The affected users have been instructed by Samsung to switch to Google Messages or an alternative SMS application by July. The company has not provided a specific date yet; however, a month has been provided.
According to Samsung, your SMS messages, RCS conversations, and message history won’t be transferred over automatically. Thus, all users have to make sure the migration is carried out by them, or it won’t be done at all.
Samsung has put together a guide to aid the migration process of switching from Samsung Messages to Google Messages for its users, and it covers devices running old OS versions, such as Android 12 and 13.
Those with no GMessages on their phone would be asked to download it and select it as the default messaging service at the required time, or they could select an alternative SMS app of their choice in the Google Play Store.
Samsung says Google Messages has more benefits than the current Samsung Messages, and they include RCS messaging, a real-time typing indicator, better group chats, and the ability to send better quality photos. Not only this, but there are also features of AI-powered spam protection, multi-device sync, and Gemini AI integration too.
This feature has already rolled out on the latest Galaxy phones, which include the Galaxy S26, and it doesn’t even let the user download Samsung Messages in the first place. Once Samsung Messages shuts down this July, users of the old Galaxy phones will no longer be able to download this app either.
It stated that users with the older operating system of Android 11 and lower are not directly affected by the services ending, but it still recommends switching over to one of the alternative apps, as it enables them to use all the newer features and also maintain the continuity of support.
The move also has implications for older Galaxy Watch devices, which run Tizen OS. These devices would still be able to send and receive SMS; however, you won’t be able to read through the entire conversation history in Samsung messages.
