Samsung to Shut Down Major Mobile App, Shares Details on Deadline and Alternatives for Users

• Samsung has stated that it would discontinue its messaging service, giving users a deadline
• Users will no longer be able to send texts through Samsung Messages after it shuts down
• Users have been advised to switch to Google Messages, which offers users some extra features

South Korean tech brand Samsung has disclosed its decision to shut down its main messaging app, Samsung Messages.

The company has advised users to switch to Google Messages ahead of a scheduled shutdown of the service in July 2026.

In an end-of-service notice released by Samsung Electronics, the app will no longer function after July 2026, meaning users will no longer be able to send text messages through the platform.

Samsung to stop major messaging app

The move by the tech giant forms part of Samsung’s mobile software strategy, as the company shifts to align more closely with Google’s Android ecosystem.

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Google Messages has already been set as the default messaging application on newer Galaxy smartphones, including some of Samsung’s latest flagship devices.

Users have been advised to migrate quickly to Google Messages ahead of the deadline to avoid disruption.

According to the company, Google Messages provides additional features such as Rich Communication Services (RCS), enhanced media sharing, and artificial intelligence-powered tools like smart replies.

The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and set as the default messaging app on supported devices.

Samsung has also announced that, in a bid to ease the transition, it will provide in-app notifications and guidance to help users make a seamless switch.

However, the company has made it clear on its website that the end-of-service guidance applies only to customers in the United States.

The details have been widely shared on platforms like X.

How to switch your default messaging app

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According to popular tech and news platform Techloy, switching to Google Messages is simple:

1. Install or open Google Messages from the Play Store, launch it, and follow the prompt to set it as your default SMS app
2. Tap 'Set default SMS app', choose Google Messages, and confirm.

Other alternatives to consider over Google Messages

Other viable alternatives that users would likely consider apart from Google Messages are:

• Textra SMS, which has a highly user-friendly interface with options to tweak chat bubbles, fonts, and notification styles per contact
• Microsoft SMS Organise, which uses on-device AI to automatically sort messages into main categories like Personal and Transactions
• Simple SMS Messenger, which is an open-source option focused on privacy and basic texting without extra features.

Apple shares list of outdated phones

In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that tech giant Apple had released a new list of iPhone models that will soon be obsolete.

Apple explained in a statement that a phone is considered obsolete once the company stops distributing it for sale for more than seven years.

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Products are deemed obsolete regardless of when individual customers purchased them; the determining factor is when distribution ceased.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh