Samsung Messages isn’t going away for everyone, here’s all you need to know

Samsung has announced some pretty harsh news for fans of its messaging app. In July 2026, the Samsung Messages app will be discontinued in favor of Google Messages.

Samsung is calling on users to “upgrade” to Google's messaging app sooner rather than later. But not every region is going through the same transition. For most, nothing's changing at all.

Here's everything you need to know about Samsung Messages' discontinuation.

While it may seem like Samsung's decision affects the global market, it doesn't. At least not yet.

Officially, this July, Samsung will discontinue its Messages app only in the USA. In other markets, pretty much nothing changes.

Samsung's own End of Service announcement states that it is “Applicable to the US market only.” And in an interview with German publication Bild, the Korean company said that “Samsung currently has no plans to discontinue Samsung Messages in countries other than the USA.”

So, if you want to keep using Samsung Messages outside the USA, you can. You're not being forced to switch to Google Messages if you don't want to. It remains your choice. At least for now.

Eventually, Samsung may or may not discontinue the app in other markets, and there are theories that the USA is just the beginning. But those are speculations, and there are no set plans as of this writing.

In the USA, changes are already happening. For one:

Here are a few other key points Samsung USA shared regarding older Galaxy phones, Tizen OS smartwatches, and changes to the Messages app's functionality:

On a final note, if your Galaxy phone still runs Android 12 or Android 13 when Samsung Messages is replaced by Google Messages, the Google Messages icon will not automatically replace the Samsung Messages shortcut in your home screen dock. You'll need to remove or replace it manually.