After two years of gentle nudging, Samsung now says that it will forcefully push customers toward the Google Messages app. New Galaxy smartphones, starting with the U.S. release of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6, will not come with Samsung Messages preinstalled.
This is one of the final hurdles in Google’s campaign for full RCS adoption. While the Samsung Messages app does support RCS, carriers and manufacturers believe that RCS functionality needs to be 100% consistent for all users. This level of parity is extremely difficult to achieve across two or more messaging apps—if a developer rarely updates their app, or if they introduce new features that other apps lack, they could fracture the RCS ecosystem.
Forcing everybody onto a single messaging app is the simplest path forward. Google spearheaded the push toward RCS, and carriers began installing Google Messages on all Android phones in 2021. Samsung agreed to make Google Messages the default option on Galaxy phones just a year later, effectively signaling the slow depreciation of Samsung Messages.
A message in the Samsung Members app, discovered by Max Weinbach, contained a formal announcement detailing Samsung Messages’ absence from the new Galaxy foldables:
“Starting with Flip6, Fold6, and newer models, the Samsung Messages app will no longer be preloaded … Instead, Google Messages will provide a new and enhanced experience to express your emotions, making communication safe and fun.”
Despite all the warning signs, today’s move feels sudden. This may be a last-minute attempt to inform Galaxy owners that Samsung Messages is on its way out, as Apple’s implementation of RCS (which arrives next month) is somewhat buggy and may work best when communicating with Google Messages users.
You can still install Samsung Messages on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Fold 6. And, as Mishaal Rahman notes, the Canadian and European versions of Samsung’s new foldables still come with Samsung Messages preinstalled. If you prefer Samsung Messages and its unique features, you’re free to use it until it stops working.
Excerpt: Samsung via 9to5Google
