Here’s How to Save Conversations in Samsung Messages Before the App Closes.
If you’ve been using Samsung Galaxy phones for a while, your favorite messaging app was probably Samsung Messages. Even though the company removed it from the list of preinstalled apps several years ago, many still use it—albeit briefly. Samsung is shutting down the app in July , marking the end of an era for the Galaxy ecosystem. After that date, the app won’t be completely useless, as Samsung says you’ll still be able to contact both emergency services and your emergency contacts. But outside of these limited scenarios, Samsung Messages will effectively cease to function.
Therefore, all Samsung Messages users need to plan how they want to continue messaging on their Galaxy. While Samsung hasn’t told us exactly when the app will be shut down, we know it will happen sometime in July. This gives Samsung Messages users just over two months to find other solutions, including migrating existing messages from Samsung Messages to the new app.
Samsung recommends switching to Google Messages
In its initial announcement, Samsung strongly encouraged Samsung Messages users to switch to Google Messages. The company even took the opportunity to highlight the advantages of Google Messages over Samsung Messages, including RCS support, artificial intelligence features, cross-platform functionality, and enhanced security. It’s a bit odd to see Samsung promoting another company’s product in this way, but it makes sense: firstly, Android is developed by Google, and Samsung has already distanced itself from its own messaging app. If it had to promote an app, it should have been Google’s native app.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of choosing Google Messages is that your existing chats from Samsung Messages are transferred along with the app. If preserving your message history is important to you, this may be the easiest option—though it does mean completely replacing another Google product. If you prefer to avoid Google apps and services, you have other options, but they may not be as convenient—especially if you want to transfer your messages.
How to switch from Samsung Messages to Google Messages
According to Samsung, it’s quite simple. First, make sure you have the Google Messages app installed on your Galaxy. When you open the app, it will prompt you to set it as your default messaging app. To do this, tap “Set default SMS app,” select “Google Messages,” and then tap “Set as default.”
Now that this app has become your default, your Galaxy should automatically begin transferring text messages from Samsung Messages to Google Messages. Samsung warns that this process may take some time, especially if you have a long message history, so don’t be alarmed if all your messages don’t transfer immediately.
There are alternatives to Google Messages, but they may not be as convenient.
Google Messages is far from the only messaging app on Android. The Play Store offers many simple or feature-rich options, including, of course, Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp. However, for basic SMS messaging, apps like Textra , Chomp SMS , and Handcent SMS are often used. These apps should offer a similar basic messaging experience to Samsung Messages, without the need to switch to another Google app. Setting any of them as your default messaging app is just as easy as with Google Messages, described above.
However, it’s unclear whether this will transfer your message history in the same way. While Google Messages supports easy transfer, you may have a different experience if you set Textra or Handcent as your default app. Therefore, if you want to ensure your message history moves reliably between apps, you may need to turn to third-party backup and transfer services. Currently , SMS Backup & Restore is the app I see most recommended among Android users. While Aman Kumar from Phone Arena found it helpful when transferring messages on his Android device, it focused on a scenario where Google Messages didn’t transfer the messages on its own. It should be possible to back up your Samsung Messages messages using this app and import them into another messaging app, but it’s not as straightforward as it should be.