Samsung Messages App Gets Stripped From Galaxy S25, Here's The Reason Why

With the announcement of the latest generation Galaxy S25 smartphones still hot on people's lips, one change that hasn't gone unnoticed is the missing Samsung Messages messaging app. In the recent past, both Samsung Messages and Google Messages were pre-installed, but now the new phones just have Google Messages instead. This change was by intention, although fans of Samsung's version haven't completely been left out in the cold either.

At the Galaxy Unpacked event this week, Samsung rolled out the Galaxy S25 lineup complete with a tweaked design plus meaningful upgrades like the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and the ability to send/receive text messages via Snapdragon Satellite. Speaking of texting though, Samsung has axed its long-going Messages app and has elevated Google Messages as the default messaging app, for better or for worse.

Since 2016, Samsung Messages had been sole messaging app for Samsung users; it's been well-loved in the community and feature-wise, the app could pretty much go toe-to-toe with Apple's and Google's offerings. Samsung's intention with messages was similar to iMessage in that it allowed for seamless integration with other Samsung apps like Samsung Notes and Calendar. Later Samsung Messages versions added features that Google Messages doesn't even offer, namely a custom chat folder and arguably superior message organization.


Google Messages started to come pre-installed (along with Samsung Messages) on Samsung phones beginning in 2021. It didn't take a genius to tell that Google was courting favor with Samsung by designing Google Messages with its own unique One UI look. The following year, Samsung announced plans to eventually phase Samsung Messages out for Google Messages in two years. 

Thus, the Galaxy S25 phones mark the end (beginning?) of that transition. Samsung says that only Google Messages will be available on new Samsung devices, so it's unknown if older devices upgrading to One UI 7 will see Samsung Messages disappear as well. 

For those who might experience Samsung Messages withdrawals however, Samsung's got your back. The self-branded messaging app can still be downloaded on the Galaxy Store. The company didn't clarify if or how long future support for the app will last, but it's nice that fans of the app can opt for it, for now anyway.