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Samsung Messages will be discontinued in July in the US, and the company is already advising Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners to migrate to Google Messages, which offers Gemini AI features, high-quality photo sharing via RCS, and automatic reply suggestions.
If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone in the United States, the messaging app that came pre-installed is about to cease to exist. Samsung has published a service termination notice on its support website confirming that Samsung Messages will be discontinued in July 2026. Owners of affected Samsung Galaxy smartphones and other devices are being advised to migrate to Google Messages to maintain what the company describes as “a consistent messaging experience on Android.” This change only applies to the American market, as Samsung itself has confirmed.
The decision is not just administrative. Samsung is directing users of its Samsung Galaxy phones to an app that offers features that Samsung Messages does not have, including the latest Gemini AI features from Google and the ability to share higher quality photos between Android devices and iPhones via RCS messaging. The company provides detailed instructions for users to download Google Messages from the Play Store and set it as the default app before the shutdown.
What is happening with the Samsung Galaxy messaging app
Samsung Messages, which for years came pre-installed on almost every Samsung Galaxy phone sold worldwide, will be shut down in the United States in July 2026. Samsung has published the notification on its American support site and is already actively guiding users to make the transition.
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Some Samsung Galaxy owners may receive a notification within the messaging app itself guiding the migration process to Google Messages.
The latest line of the brand, the Samsung Galaxy S26, no longer allows downloading Samsung Messages from the Galaxy Store. This indicates that the transition was already underway even before the formal announcement.
Samsung has stated that after the official shutdown in July, no device will be able to download the Messages app. Users can check within the app the exact date when the service will be disabled on their device.
Who will be affected by the change in Samsung Galaxy phones
The change does not affect all Samsung Galaxy owners in the same way. Users of older versions of the Android operating system, starting from Android 11 or earlier, will not be affected by the end of Samsung Messages, according to the company itself.
To check which version of Android is running on a Samsung Galaxy, simply open the Settings app, click on “Software information,” and scroll to “Android version.”
For Samsung Galaxy owners with Android 12 or higher, migrating to Google Messages is the official guidance. This includes most devices sold in the last four years, representing millions of devices in use in the United States.
Samsung has made it clear that this service termination guidance applies exclusively to the American market, meaning that Samsung Galaxy owners in other countries, including Brazil, can continue using Samsung Messages normally for now.
What Google Messages offers that Samsung Messages did not have
Samsung is not just shutting down an app. It is pushing its Samsung Galaxy users to a platform that integrates AI features and more modern communication standards.
Google Messages includes functionalities from Gemini, Google’s AI, such as an experimental feature called “Remix” that allows generating images during conversations and AI-generated reply suggestions.
Another important differentiator is RCS support, a protocol that allows sharing high-quality photos between Android devices and Apple iPhones.
RCS is considered the successor to SMS and offers functionalities that are closer to those found in apps like WhatsApp and iMessage, including read receipts, typing indicators, and sending larger files. For Samsung Galaxy owners, the transition means access to a more complete messaging experience than what Samsung Messages offered.
Why Samsung decided to shut down its own Samsung Galaxy messaging app
The decision reflects a trend of consolidation in the Android ecosystem. Maintaining two competing messaging apps on the same operating system created confusion for Samsung Galaxy users, who often did not know which one to use or ended up with messages split between two different apps.
Google Messages was already the default app for most Android manufacturers, and Samsung was one of the last major brands to maintain its own messaging app.
By migrating to Google Messages, Samsung Galaxy eliminates duplication and standardizes the communication experience across the Android ecosystem. For Google, the move is strategic as it expands the user base of its app and strengthens the adoption of RCS as the messaging standard.
For Samsung, it means one less app to develop and maintain, freeing up engineering resources for other areas. For the end user, the promise is of a more integrated experience with more features.
What Samsung Galaxy owners should do now
If you have a Samsung Galaxy with Android 12 or higher in the United States, Samsung’s recommendation is to download Google Messages from the Play Store, if it is not already installed, and set it as the default messaging app.
The process is simple and can be done in a few minutes. Existing conversations in Samsung Messages should be transferred during the migration process.
Samsung Galaxy owners in other countries, such as Brazil, do not need to take any immediate action. Samsung has confirmed that the shutdown of Samsung Messages applies only to the American market.
However, considering that the trend of consolidation around Google Messages is global, it is possible that other markets will receive the same guidance in the future. For those using Samsung Galaxy in Brazil, it is worth keeping an eye on the company’s updates and familiarizing themselves with Google Messages from now on.
Do you use Samsung Messages or have you already migrated to Google Messages on your Samsung Galaxy? Do you think Samsung should have kept its own app or did it do well to standardize with Google? Share in the comments. Changes like this affect millions of people and always generate divided opinions.
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