Last updated: July 7th, 2026 at 09:07 UTC+02:00
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The writing has been on the wall for months.
Reading time: 3 minutes
Abhijeet Mishra / SamMobile
Samsung has finally shut down the Samsung Messages app on Galaxy phones and tablets. The app came pre-installed on millions of Galaxy devices, but Samsung began switching to Google Messages as the default messaging app for Galaxy devices launched in 2022 and later. And it was shut down on July 6, 2026 in the US.
The app might continue working on devices that came with it pre-installed outside the USA, but it is no longer available for download from the Galaxy Store or the Google Play Store anymore.
Now that Samsung has officially discontinued Samsung Messages, you should switch to Google Messages if you haven’t already. There’s a good chance Google Messages is already installed on your Galaxy device, and all you need to do is set it as the default messaging app. To do that, follow the steps below.
Samsung decided to switch to Google Messages as the default messaging app on Galaxy phones to accelerate the adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS). RCS brings several modern messaging features that are already common in third-party messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp.
Here is the timeline of Samsung’s transition from Samsung Messages to Google Messages.
Asif is a computer engineer turned technology journalist. He has been using Samsung phones since 2004, and his current smartphone is the Galaxy S23 Ultra. He loves headphones, mechanical keyboards, and PC hardware. When not writing about technology, he likes watching crime and science fiction movies and TV shows.
