Samsung to retire Messages app in US by July 2026
Samsung is phasing out its Messages app in the US by July 2026, nudging Galaxy users to move over to Google Messages.
If you're on Android 12 or higher, you'll get a heads-up notification.
After July, Samsung Messages will only work for emergency texts and will disappear from the Galaxy Store.
Google Messages offers RCS and AI
On Android 14 and above, the Google Messages icon will automatically shift to your home screen dock after switching.
Older devices (from before 2022) aren't affected.
The switch brings smarter features like AI scam alerts, better spam filters, RCS messaging on Android, improved group chats, and easier media sharing, all aimed at making texting smoother for everyone.
There might be some brief hiccups with RCS chats during the switch, but things should settle once both sides are using Google Messages.