Samsung to discontinue Samsung Messages after 17 years; back up your messages now

Samsung has officially announced that it will discontinue its built-in messaging app Samsung Messages after 17 years, since its 2009 launch. The move marks Samsung’s transition to a modern industry standard for messaging and follows the company’s push to unify experiences across Android devices through the adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS). Samsung says users should switch to Google Messages as the primary messaging app to ensure a consistent experience across devices and to enable RCS features.

The transition is driven by the need for greater security and more advanced features. Important notice: the service will begin to wind down in July 2026, starting in the United States before expanding to other markets. Users are advised to back up their data promptly to avoid loss. Some user reports have pointed to technical issues such as messages disappearing during the transition, so manual backups are highly recommended before the app is fully closed.

For long-time Samsung Messages users, this shift may require some adaptation. A comparison: although Samsung has not set a fixed closing date for each region, preparing in advance is prudent. Ensure your Google Messages app is updated to the latest version to enable RCS security features. Do not wait until Samsung Messages is no longer accessible to safeguard your important conversation history. (Yahoo tech/Z-10)

Google Messages tests ‘Tap to Edit’. Users can now edit Smart Reply before sending, helping prevent mis-sent messages and typos.