In case you haven’t heard yet, Samsung has officially confirmed that it’s happening Samsung closes the Messages app later this year. The company has already stopped pre-installing it on newer Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S26 series, and now says it will be phased out entirely in July 2026.
Samsung notes that you’ll still be able to send messages using the app until then, except for emergency services or contacts. Once suspended, the app will no longer be available for download from the Galaxy Store.
Article continues below
The most natural successor to Samsung Messages is Google Messages, especially if you want to continue using RCS. This The official alternative Samsung recommendsand is currently the only widespread messaging app on Android that fully supports RCS.
Google Messages is now the default messaging app on most Android phones, and so is Google continuously adding new features Over the past year to make it more capable and consistent across devices. With RCS support in Google Messages, you get features like reliable cross-texting with iPhones, typing indicators, high-quality media sharing, message reactions, and built-in spam protection.
Of course, it’s not a perfect replacement for Samsung Messages. You’ll miss out on things like deeper chat customization (although Google is working on integrating it), better message categorization, and a more flexible UI.
If you prefer a simpler experience, Google Messages’ Twins integrations may not be for everyone. But if RCS is important to you, this is your only option right now.
If you’re open to moving away from RCS entirely, the messaging app that almost everyone uses is WhatsApp. It’s globally available, works across platforms, and offers more features than both Samsung Messages and Google Messages. You get built-in voice and video calls, group chats, communities, message reactions, and all the features you typically find in SMS-based messaging apps.
So it’s not perfect. Although WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption by default, there is final concerns around privacy, with reports that Meta employees were able to bypass E2EE and read private messages without the decryption step, though the company denied the claims.
Again, if your priority is to reach the most people with the least amount of effort, this is the easiest switch you can make.
If WhatsApp isn’t for you, another alternative that might interest you is Instagram DMs, even if it sounds a bit strange at first glance. Many people already use Instagram as their primary messaging platform (myself included). One of the biggest advantages is that you don’t need a phone number because everything works through usernames.
Instagram DMs are now a great place to share random chats, quick replies, and memes or posts. You also get cross-platform messaging in some regions with Facebook Messenger integration, along with features like chat threads, disappearing mode, and reactions.
Of course, it’s not meant to replace SMS or a dedicated messaging app. But depending on your usage, you may find that you already rely on it more than you thought. However, if privacy is a priority, Instagram may not be ideal for a company in particular moving away from end-to-end encryption For DMs from May 8, 2026.
If you are a power user and want a feature-rich and flexible experience, Telegram is probably the best alternative. Compared to most messaging apps, it’s easily one of the most feature-rich options out there.
You get things like massive group chats (up to 200,000 members), channels, bots for automation, and support for sharing large files (up to 4GB). One of the biggest advantages is the cloud-based synchronization, which makes it easy to switch devices, unlike SMS or even WhatsApp, where you have to manually transfer your data.
That is, there is a trade-off. Regular chats are not end-to-end encrypted by default, and you need to use Secret Chats for that. For some users, this may be a deal breaker.
If privacy is your main concern, Signal is the app you should check out. It offers end-to-end encryption by default on everything, including messages, calls and media, and collects minimal user data compared to other messaging platforms.
The downside is that it’s not as widely used and the feature set is more minimal than apps like WhatsApp or Telegram. But if you’re comfortable convincing a few close contacts to switch, Signal is probably the safest option on this list.
All that said, there is no true one-to-one replacement for Samsung Messages. There are some customizable SMS apps Text and QUIK SMS (open source)but they do not support RCS. So, if RCS is important to you, you’ll have to switch to Google Messages. Otherwise, your options are more or less than those listed above.
