Samsung Confirms Deadline for Samsung Messages App: Here’s What You Will Use Instead

Samsung has been gearing up to stop the use of Samsung Messages in the last few years, and it now announced an exact timeline for the shutdown of the messaging service. Earlier this month, the company has asked users of Samsung Messages to switch over to Google Messengers as default messaging app. The South Korean tech giant’s new handsets and tablets no longer have Samsung Messages installed; instead, they default Google messages. The Galaxy Store remains uninstalled with the Samsung Messages.

How to Switch to Google Messages

According to a statement posted on its US support page, Samsung announced that the company will stop selling Samsung Messages in July 2026. While the company has not revealed a specific date, it confirmed users will be able to locate it on the Samsung Messages app on their devices. This End of Service does not affect users with devices running on Android 11 or below.

The company is also ‘fully switching to Google Messages as its default texting platform,’ it has been mentioned. It is also compatible with Galaxy phone tablets and even Galaxy Watches, as well as the app. All the features are available by using Google Messages as default SMS app on their main device, which users must set to enable them. Samsung also vowed that messages and contacts can sync or transfer between apps, so nothing is lost during the transition.

Samsung may also send in-app notifications within Samsung Messages to help users switch to Google messages. Alternatively, users can manually install the Google Messages app from the Android Play Store and select it as default SMS when asked to choose which is installed (and confirm that settings have changed).

You can manually switch to Google Messages by following these steps:

1. Open Google Messages.
   2[/math] If users first open it, this prompt will be displayed – “To use Messages, make it your default SMS app”. ‘A ,’ said.
2. Tap the Set default SMS app button.
3. Choose Google Messages (the white icon with a blue chat bubble).
4. Tap Set as default.

Android 8 Galaxy devices are supported by Google Messages. 0 and above? It says data can be backed up or synced with Samsung Smart Switch or Google Drive, according to the company.

It’s a long time since Samsung has been moving in this direction, as is the case with . Last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 models and the Galaxy S26 series are also accompanied by Google Messages pre-installed instead of Samsung messages. Samsung Messages are still available via the Galaxy Store for the time being. The Samsung Messages app from the Galaxy Store is not available for download on newer devices and in Galaxy S26, but it does not support the launch of the Samsung Messengers application.

The watches launched before the Galaxy Watch 4 cannot support Google Messages, and older Samsung Galaxy watch models with Tizen OS are not supported by their newer counterpart. Hence, after the Samsung Messages were shut down, the older models will no longer be able to see the full message conversation history on their watches. Those wearables will still allow the user to read and text messages.

If you send messages through Samsung Messages on the phone after this discontinuity, it will no longer be possible except for emergency service numbers or emergency contacts defined in the device. Several Samsung phones that were released before 2022 are likely to have RCS disruptions.