Samsung Messages shuts down in favor of Google Messages sometime this month

Ben Schoon | Jul 1 2026 - 7:05 am PT

As announced earlier this year, the Samsung Messages app is about to shut down, though the exact end-of-service date hasn’t been confirmed yet.

Samsung Messages has been the pre-installed SMS app on Galaxy phones for years, but the rise of RCS has slowly pushed the company away from its own app. Google Messages became the default texting app on Galaxy phones in 2022. In 2024, Samsung stopped pre-installing its own app on Galaxy devices sold in the US, and the company actively pushed users to Google’s app later that year. In 2025, there was a brief resurgence for Samsung Messages, including RCS support and some new features, but Samsung ultimately decided to pull the plug.

In April, Samsung confirmed that its Messages app would shut down in favor of Google Messages, and now that time has come.

Sometime this month, Samsung Messages will cease to work on Galaxy devices running Android 12 or newer. Older Galaxy devices running older Android versions can continue using Samsung Messages. The exact end-of-service date has not yet been confirmed by Samsung, with “July 2026” being the only timeline mentioned. With that in mind, though, we thought it appropriate to remind anyone still using Samsung’s app that this change is imminent.

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On Galaxy devices running Android 14 and newer, Samsung Messages will “automatically shift” to Google Messages, including the icon on your homescreen.

In a poll of 9to5Google readers, Samsung’s app layout and features were the primary reason users didn’t want to switch over, with themes also having been a notable reason.

Stay tuned, as we’ll be looking out for the actual shutdown date for Samsung Messages this month.