Samsung Messages to Be Officially Discontinued in July 2026 — Switch to Google Messages

Samsung Messages to Be Officially Discontinued in July 2026

Samsung has officially announced that it will discontinue its native messaging app. The company posted an "end of service announcement" on its website stating that the Samsung Messages application will be discontinued in July 2026.

What Happens After Discontinuation?

Once the Samsung Messages app is discontinued, sending messages via Samsung Messages on your phone will no longer be possible, except for emergency service numbers or emergency contacts defined in your device.

After the end date, Samsung Messages will likely be removed from both the Galaxy Store and the Google Play Store. You need to open the app on your device to find out the exact date when the service will stop working in your region.

The Official Replacement: Google Messages

Samsung is asking users to switch to Google Messages before the shutdown, positioning it as the choice that delivers a "consistent messaging experience on Android."

This move is all about standardization. Instead of maintaining its own messaging platform, Samsung is leaning fully into Google's solution — which offers better RCS support, cross-device consistency, and faster feature updates.

Who Is Affected and Who Isn't?

Devices running Android 11 or older won't be affected by the shutdown.

Owners of the Galaxy S26 and newer devices cannot download the Samsung Messages app from the Galaxy Store. All other devices will no longer be able to download the Samsung Messages app from the Galaxy Store after Samsung Messages is discontinued in July 2026.

Older Tizen OS smartwatches — specifically those released before the Galaxy Watch 4 — don't support Google Messages. This means these watches will be unable to show the full conversation history after the discontinuation, with functionality being limited to reading and sending text messages.

Was This Surprising?

It's not as if Samsung's management woke up from a good night's sleep and decided to discontinue their messaging app. The company had been dropping hints from time to time. In early 2025, it reportedly confirmed it would soon start using Google Messages as the default messaging app on Galaxy phones. Most phones released after this announcement — including the Galaxy S25 family — came with Google Messages as the default SMS app, while the S26 series skipped Samsung Messages entirely.

Final Thoughts

After years of service, Samsung Messages is being retired. The move to Google Messages means better RCS support, Gemini AI features, and a more consistent experience across Android devices. If you're still using Samsung Messages, now is the time to make the switch before July.