Samsung posted an "End of Service Announcement" on its own website: the Samsung Messages app will no longer be available by July 2026, and every Galaxy user still running it is being directed to switch to Google Messages as their default.
The move has been in the works for years. Starting with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, Samsung stopped preloading its own messaging app entirely, shipping those devices with Google Messages installed instead. The Galaxy S25 series followed the same path. Samsung Messages remained downloadable through the Galaxy Store, but that window is closing. Samsung says the exact final shutdown date will be announced inside the app itself.
For users making the switch, Google Messages brings RCS messaging across the board, including high-quality media sharing, group chats, and real-time typing indicators regardless of what phone the other person is using. Gemini AI is also part of the package, with the ability to remix photos directly inside chats. Switching between a smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch within the same conversation thread is built in as well.
The tradeoff is real. Samsung Messages offered customization options that Google Messages does not replicate. Samsung has not detailed what happens to those preferences after July.
What users lose in customization, Samsung is betting they recover in interoperability. The question is whether that bet holds for the subset of Galaxy owners who chose Samsung Messages specifically because it wasn't Google's.
Source: Samsung