Starting with the release of the Fold 6 series, Samsung Messages will no longer be pre-installed on future Samsung devices. Google Messages will be the only messaging app on phones in the US. Google is pushing this especially with the implementation of RCS compatibility on Iphones come September. RCS will only work from Google Messages to IMessage. Google owns Android, their platform, their rules.
Samsung Messages will still be available for download in the Galaxy Store, stripped of any real meaningful features.
Not only will Google Messages be the sole messaging app, RSC will be turned on by default. If you wish to have RCS chat features it will ONLY be available in Google's product.
I will bet that when the next update rolls out, all those that still have enhanced features in the Samsung Messages it will be gone. Samsung Messages will now only be SMS/MMS.
This is the future going forward with messaging in the US, you either jump on board with Google Messages or you can stay with Samsung Messages with no enhanced features.
They most certainly could. Their focus is all on AI though. And most of it is niche, circumstantial stuff. They could be doing better with that as well but they aren't. It's very disappointing how Samsung is changing. 😔
Honestly! I miss the lift to call while in text thread. Now I gotta click like 3 extra buttons to call the person I'm texting? **bleep** Samsung? I love the Razr flip phones but I hate the Google android or whatever it's called. It's the only reason I haven't switched away from Samsung. At this point I might as well 😮💨
I didn't buy a Google Pixel because Google apps are terrible, the UI is horrid and it lacks functionality. By default Google Messages does NOT fall back to SMS unless you get under the settings and turn it on. The average user won't do this, thus in emergency situations or places with poor service messages will wait to come back online indefinitely. This actually cost me a relationship as a girl thought I was ignoring her when I was out hunting for 3 days Google Messages didn't fallback to SMS because by default it's turned off. So reliability is gone and even if you have sms fallback turned on it only works half the time...I have Google Messages wait 8 hours before falling back to sms lol.
I don't like the direction Samsung is going. I recently bought a garmin watch because the newer Galaxy Watches are inferior to the older ones...if Samsung is going to abandoned their One Ui and their One UI apps then I guess I'll be left with no choice but to go back to Apple next year instead of buying an S25.
It's a shame really...Google are losers....they sell less than 1% of global smartphones, pixels are a complete failure, they ran Fitbit into the ground in less that two years, ruined Nest, Googlekilledit why Samsung wants to use crappy WearOS and crappy Google apps when they were kicking Google into the grave yard with their phones and Watches is crazy to me.
Samsung HAD the only Android ecosystem that could compete with Apple (One Ui + Samsung Apps + Microsoft 365 integration) and they threw it all away on a deal with Google that will be like all other Google ventures outside of ads...loser...
Apple is laughing at Samsung right now and you watch over the next Two years Samsung will LOSE market share, this is what happens when you partner with losers like Google who destroy everything they touch outside of ads and search.
Samsung Messages is not being pre installed on the new flip and fold phones, at least in the US. I'd venture to say the app will receive a security update once in a while but no new features.
Just because it isn't pre-installed anymore doesn't mean they are getting rid of it my guess is that they are doing this to create less confusion for people by not having 2 Messages Apps installed and the fact that certain carriers like AT&T and TMobile for instance only allow RCS Messaging via Google Messages
