Goodbye, Samsung Messages

In April of this year, Samsung announced its plans to shut down its proprietary Messages app, effectively marking the end of an era for Galaxy users. The news shouldn’t have come as a surprise, considering the company had been phasing out the app for quite some time. In fact, Samsung didn’t even ship the app with newer devices, opting instead for Google Messages as its new messaging standard.

Galaxy S26 users, in particular, can’t download the app at all, further solidifying the shift towards Google’s messaging platform. The company initially stated that Samsung Messages would shut down sometime in July, but remained mum on a specific date. As July 1st approached, some users may have felt a glimmer of hope that the app wouldn’t meet its demise. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

July 7th marked the official deprecation day for Samsung Messages, as the app is now officially defunct. Although users can still open the app, attempting to send a message will result in a grayed-out text field. It seems the company chose to go out with a whimper rather than a bang, but the implications are clear: Samsung Messages is no more.

What to Do Now

While Samsung Messages may be no longer supported, the app isn’t completely gone. Users can still access their message history, albeit under limited circumstances. According to Samsung, users can still use the app on devices running Android 11 or older. Additionally, all users can contact emergency services and their emergency contacts from within Samsung Messages.

For those who set someone as an emergency contact, there’s a workaround to continue using Samsung Messages. However, we must caution against using this method for an extended period, as the app will no longer receive security updates. Any security vulnerabilities that arise in the future will go unpatched, putting users’ devices and data at risk.

That being said, there is another workaround that involves uninstalling app updates to restore access to Samsung Messages. However, we strongly advise against using this method, as it can leave users vulnerable to security threats.

Time to Switch to Google Messages

The best course of action for most Samsung Messages users is to switch to Google Messages. This transition is relatively seamless, and users can expect their conversation history to automatically migrate over from Samsung Messages. Although Samsung claims there are no guarantees about how long this process will take, switching to Google Messages is still the most straightforward option.

For those who prefer alternative messaging apps, options like Textra, Chomp SMS, and Handcent SMS offer similar features. However, users may encounter difficulties transferring their message history over to these apps. A third-party SMS backup tool like SMS Backup & Restore can help alleviate this issue, but the results are far from guaranteed.

Ultimately, the most secure and convenient option is to switch to Google Messages. While it may not be the most ideal solution, it’s the best course of action for most Samsung Messages users.