Samsung has officially confirmed that its default messaging app will soon be discontinued. In the company’s post, it mentions that Samsung Messages will go away in July 2026. But before then, users can turn to Google Messages instead.
According to Samsung, “Upgrade your messaging experience” by switching to Google’s app to ensure a “consistent messaging experience on Android.” It also tells users to check the Samsung Messages app for the exact shutdown date. Maybe the rollout will be phased or region-specific.
Samsung Messages shutdown July 2026
This isn’t an abrupt announcement. Right from July 2024, Samsung announced it would switch Galaxy phones to Google Messages as the default messaging app. Samsung has increasingly aligned itself with Google’s messaging strategy over the past few years, pre-installing Google Messages as the default SMS/RCS app on many of its newer devices. Even the Galaxy S26 series comes with Google Messages as the default messaging app, and not Samsung Messages.
The new change won’t affect all Samsung users. Those with devices running Android 11 or older will still support Samsung Messages. This should be because of compatibility issues.
