{"id":9817,"date":"2026-05-11T03:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T02:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovatenews.site\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/samsung-messages-is-almost-dead-and-google-messages-is-still-missing-5-big-features\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T03:46:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T02:46:19","slug":"samsung-messages-is-almost-dead-and-google-messages-is-still-missing-5-big-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/innovatenews.site\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/samsung-messages-is-almost-dead-and-google-messages-is-still-missing-5-big-features\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung Messages is almost dead, and Google Messages is still missing 5 big features"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The topic Samsung Messages is almost dead, and Google Messages is still missing 5 big features<\/strong> is currently the subject of lively discussion \u2014 readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.<\/p>\n

This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies\u2019 decisions and competitors\u2019 reactions can quickly change the picture.<\/p>\n

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Samsung Messages is shutting down in a matter of weeks. Starting in July, the app will no longer be supported, and Samsung will push users to switch to Google Messages instead. As it turns out, Samsung Messages has a lot of dedicated fans among Android Authority\u2018s readership, and you\u2019ve all been vocal in our comments about the features Samsung\u2019s app offers that Google\u2019s doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Google Messages has been adding impactful new features pretty frequently lately \u2014 a new trash folder last month, real-time location sharing weeks earlier \u2014 but there\u2019s still plenty the app can\u2019t do. Here are five Samsung Messages features Android Authority\u2018s commenters say they\u2019ll miss most once the app winds down.<\/p>\n

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Samsung Messages lets users customize their chats extensively, with options to manually choose chat colors and even set images as chat backgrounds. This feature has come up in the comments of practically every Android Authority post that mentions Samsung Messages\u2019 upcoming shutdown.<\/p>\n

Google Messages doesn\u2019t offer the same level of customization. You can edit chat colors, but as of now, that\u2019s it. Fortunately, we\u2019ve spotted evidence in Google Messages\u2019 code that customized chat backgrounds are in the works: strings in a recent beta build of Google\u2019s app reference custom themes multiple times, including one that specifically mentions custom theme backgrounds.<\/p>\n

That was a few weeks ago, so it\u2019s entirely possible we could see chat customization in Google Messages on par with what Samsung Messages offers by the time users are forced to make the switch. With any luck, custom themes will transfer along with the message content, but I wouldn\u2019t hold my breath.<\/p>\n

Samsung Messages lets users create folders to group chats, making it easy to clump conversations about work, family life, hobbies, or whatever else you\u2019ve got going on. While Google Messages can filter spam into its own view and now has a trash folder, it does not support sorting conversations into categories.<\/p>\n

Android Authority reader Jamie McMahon actually values this option more than chat themes, commenting that Google should \u201cstop focusing on ways we can change how our messages look and focus on ways we can organize our messages.\u201d I\u2019d have to agree there.<\/p>\n

One UI offers an option to have your phone vibrate each time you pick it up when you have missed calls or unread text messages. Commenter Chris4wwf points out that that feature isn\u2019t currently supported by Google Messages: with the \u201cAlert when phone picked up\u201d setting turned on, Samsung phones will vibrate when there are unread messages in Samsung Messages, but not if there are in Google\u2019s messaging app.<\/p>\n

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Users have been complaining about this functionality gap on Samsung\u2019s forums for some time, and the issue remains unresolved as of last month. Whether this is something on Google\u2019s or Samsung\u2019s end, ideally, it\u2019ll be ironed out soon.<\/p>\n

In Samsung Messages\u2019 settings, a toggle labeled \u201cDelete old messages\u201d automatically deletes your oldest texts once you\u2019ve reached 1,000, preventing your chats from getting too long. Commenter greg.sirmon is annoyed that Google Messages doesn\u2019t include any option to automatically delete old text messages, instead only allowing for manual deletion of individual texts or entire text threads.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never been bothered by an excessively long chat backlog, but as someone who appreciates a tidy digital space, I can sympathize. I can\u2019t see why Google Messages wouldn\u2019t offer options to automatically delete old messages.<\/p>\n

Plenty of Android Authority readers have said they\u2019re upset to see Samsung Messages fold, since Samsung\u2019s app was meaningful competition for Google in the Android messaging space.<\/p>\n

There are other texting clients on Android, of course (Fossify and Textra are two relatively popular picks), not to mention large multi-platform options like Telegram and WhatsApp. But Samsung Messages started phasing out RCS last year, leaving Google Messages as the only RCS game in town. With Samsung\u2019s app going away almost entirely this summer, it seems likely that\u2019ll be the case for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

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