In a time when immediate communication is essential, small improvements in our messaging applications can make a big difference. That is why Samsung’s recent decision to discontinue the pre-installation of Samsung Messages in favor of Google Messages on their Galaxy devices has been well received, not only by Android users, but also by those of us with iPhones.
One app for messaging
Until now, Samsung Messages had been a constant in Galaxy smartphones, accompanying users throughout multiple generations of devices. However, the push given by Google to the RCS (Rich Communication Services) communication protocol seems to have tipped the balance. Unlike Samsung Messages, Google Messages offers much more robust support for RCS, enabling richer and more versatile communication with any phone. Although Samsung Messages also supported RCS, it must be said, not with the same depth and effectiveness as Google Messages.
RCS is designed to overcome the limitations of traditional SMS, allowing us to send richer content messages, such as high-resolution images, videos or voice notes, and providing us with real-time typing indications and read receipts, similar to what we can find in applications like Apple Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram. While Samsung has already made Google Messages the default app on Samsung devices, some users accustomed to the app or new to the platform may find it confusing to see both apps installed on the device. Now, as reported by 9to5Google, starting with the Flip6 and Fold6, the Samsung Messages app will no longer come pre-installed.
And why should iPhone users care about this? The answer is simple: interoperability. With RCS, the barrier between Android and iOS devices in terms of messaging functionalities is practically eliminated. This means that when RCS compatibility arrives on iOS 18 this fall, as announced, communication between iPhone and Samsung devices will be smoother than ever.
This change by Samsung is not only a technical decision, but also an adaptation to a certain universalization of communication in messaging platforms. By choosing Google Messages as their app of choice, more and more people – including people who don’t necessarily have to know what RCS is or that it will be available on Apple in a few weeks – will jump on the bandwagon of the new messaging standard.
So whether we’re sending a GIF, sharing a real-time location, or just saying “hello”, communication between iPhone and Samsung phones is about to level up. A decision, by Samsung, that we equally celebrate from Android and from iPhone and that brings us closer to a much more capable messaging experience.
