Google Messages vs. Samsung Messages: Which app must you use?

Amid the rise of third-party messaging apps, texting stays a well-liked technique of messaging within the U.S. For those who personal an Android cellphone, you’ve possible used or heard of Google Messages, which is positioned because the default textual content messaging app for Android. It’s the fruits of Google’s lengthy historical past with a number of messaging platforms. Google has pursued smartphone firms to make use of its Dialer and Messages apps as their default since not less than 2017 and now mandates them to make use of Google Messages because the default messaging app on all gadgets.

In the meantime, if in case you have been a Samsung consumer up to now, you may have possible additionally recognized and skilled the Samsung Messages app, which comes preinstalled on all Samsung telephones and can’t be uninstalled. That is regardless of shedding its spot because the default messaging app on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

For those who’ve purchased a brand new Samsung cellphone lately, you need to select between two messaging apps: Google Messages and Samsung Messages. Every app has its benefits, however you can’t use each concurrently. SIn this text, we are going to enable you to select the most effective messaging app in your Samsung smartphone by highlighting the important thing variations between Google Messages and Samsung Messages.

Google Messages vs. Samsung Messages: consumer interface

The consumer interface on Google Messages has loads of similarities with Samsung Messages, particularly when it comes to performance. There are, nevertheless, seen variations that you just discover from the get-go.

Dwelling display

The very first thing you discover on Samsung Messages is that the record of messages begins halfway by way of the show as a substitute of on the high. That is in adherence to Samsung’s One UI interface, which is designed to facilitate one-handed use. The highest half of the interface shows the variety of unread messages, and you may faucet on the View button underneath this counter to take a look at a listing of solely unread messages. It’s price noting that the Google Messages app additionally makes use of the identical design the place the conversations record begins in the course of the show — however solely on Samsung telephones.

On the house display, each apps group messages from the identical sender into conversations. Google Messages shows a search bar on the highest of the welcome display, alongside along with your Google account’s profile image, which you’ll be able to faucet to open one of many two overflow menus (the second may be opened utilizing the hamburger button on the left). Each apps have buttons on the backside proper to compose new messages.

Samsung Messages has a search button as a substitute of a devoted bar, nevertheless it works equally. Tapping both of the weather opens a devoted web page by which the search outcomes populate as you kind. Whereas Google Messages lists outcomes by conversations, Samsung Messages makes discovering texts simpler by itemizing particular person messages.

Under the search bar, Google Messages shows tags for mechanically sorting messages into totally different classes reminiscent of Private, Transactions, OTPs, and Presents. Samsung Messages additionally permits you to kind messages into totally different classes, however with a major downside. You have to create classes in Samsung Messages manually after which additionally add conversations to these classes. With automated sorting, Google Messages makes it a lot simpler than Samsung Messages to maintain your SMS inbox clear and purposefully filtered.

Google Messages permits you to archive messages by swiping over them. Just like the Gmail app on Android, you’ll be able to select totally different actions (between deleting and archiving) for left and proper swiping. The swipe-to-archive function is absent on Samsung Messages, which is ironic since Samsung’s Telephone app has supported actions from swiping over contact names for practically a decade.

Lastly, Google Messages permits you to select between the sunshine and darkish themes for the interface if you happen to don’t want for it to be synchronized with the system theme. Similar to different Google apps, its Messages app additionally makes use of a darkish grey tint for the darkish mode.

In the meantime, Samsung Messages doesn’t provide the choice to decide on between mild and darkish modes manually and mechanically synchronizes the app’s theme with the remainder of the cellphone. Samsung makes use of a dual-shade background, together with a darker shade for the empty space and a lighter shade behind the record of messages.

Composing and replying to messages

Google Messages and Samsung Messages have related strategies of initiating a brand new chat. You begin by tapping the button on the backside after which select the recipient out of your contact record — or manually enter their cell quantity or e mail ID (solely on Google Messages) to start a dialog.

Aside from visible distinctions, Google Messages and Samsung Messages operate equally. Apart from textual content, you’ll be able to ship emojis, GIFs, stickers, and voice messages on Google Messages. Apart from the usual media attachments, you’ll be able to ship information, contacts, and your location with Google Messages through the use of a richer messaging protocol known as RCS (Wealthy Communication Providers). Like Apple’s iMessage, RCS works over the web as a substitute of SMS or MMS and is, subsequently, on the spot. The one requirement is that each the sender and the receiver will need to have RCS-enabled gadgets. We focus on RCS options intimately beneath.

Samsung Messages gives related assist for attachments that may be despatched together with the messages. This consists of pictures, GIFs, movies, voice messages, emojis, and so forth. Samsung additionally means that you can ship stickers in chats, however provided that you employ its personal keyboard app. Samsung Messages has related options for RCS chats that allow it to ship to multimedia immediately.

Along with various attachment choices, Google Messages additionally gives “Good Replies” powered by Google Assistant. These responses are mechanically generated by AI based mostly on what it finds appropriate and seem as buttons for straightforward tapping.

You should utilize the template “Fast response” texts on Samsung Messages as nicely. For faster entry, it’s also possible to add customized texts to the record of Fast responses. Nonetheless, not like Google Messages, the record of recommended responses solely incorporates a set of ordinary replies not custom-made by Google Assistant. Nor does it use the corporate’s digital assistant, Bixby.

Each messaging apps permit you to schedule a message to be despatched sooner or later and provide direct buttons to name an individual utilizing the cellphone over Google Meet (beforehand Duo). Each apps additionally allow you to schedule messages for sending at a later time.

In case your smartphone is operating Android 11 and above, conversations in Google Messages may be considered as collapsible bubbles, much like the Fb Messager Android app.

Google Messages vs. Samsung Messages: RCS chat options

RCS is a messaging protocol envisioned to be the successor to SMS and MMS. Though the usual was first described by the GSM Affiliation in 2007, it didn’t grow to be commonplace till 2015 when Google purchased Jibe Cell, which used to supply back-end providers for RCS to cell carriers.

In 2018, Google launched Chat, an RCS-backed service that may enable customers to ship and obtain wealthy multimedia reminiscent of emojis, HD movies, GIFs, and share learn receipts, and even present the opposite individual as typing in actual time. On the time, all of those options have been both restricted to web messengers like WhatsApp and iMessage. However not like Apple’s iMessage, RCS was not singly owned by one firm and, subsequently, turned broadly out there to be used by each service and Android cellphone producer.

To spur the expansion of RCS, Google launched Chat options in Messages on Android in 2018 after which partnered with carriers within the U.S. to allow these Chat options on smartphones. It has additionally partnered with Samsung to allow cohesive RCS messaging throughout Samsung and different Android gadgets.

Presently, RCS-based messaging is extra broadly current in lots of components of the world throughout quite a few carriers and Android gadgets than earlier than. Nonetheless, Google Messages and Samsung Messages are nonetheless the one first-party messaging apps supporting RCS messaging. Since RCS is interoperable, it additionally works between Google Messages and Samsung Messages.

Multimedia assist

RCS equally empowers each Messages apps, including the flexibility to share media immediately. With RCS performance turned on, you’ll be able to ship photos, stickers, GIFs, emojis, audio, movies, paperwork, location, calendar entries, contacts, and voice messages throughout supported gadgets. The present file dimension restrict is 100MB, which is probably not not as spectacular as WhatsApp’s 2GB file dimension restrict, however will suffice for a big number of information.

Since RCS messages are transmitted over the web and never by way of your service’s community, you’ll be able to ship them even with out an energetic service — as long as you’re related to Wi-Fi or some other web supply. Reliance on the web ensures that RCS messages are delivered immediately.

In the meantime, Samsung Messages prompts you to pick the media high quality whereas sharing, permitting you to avoid wasting knowledge if you happen to’re on a metered mobile community.

Learn receipts, typing indicator, and group chats

Along with increasing assist for various file sorts, RCS allows a typing indicator and browse receipts on Google Messages and Samsung Messages. It’s also possible to take pleasure in multimedia-rich group chats with different individuals who have RCS-enabled gadgets. Google Messages additionally means that you can react to messages with emojis, whereas Samsung Messages lacks this function.

Finish-to-end encryption

Beginning in August 2023, Google has enabled end-to-end encryption for RCS chats by way of Google Messages. Nonetheless, it doesn’t explicitly say whether or not encryption applies to RCS throughout the board or solely to conversations between Google Messages customers.

activate RCS messaging on Google Messages or Samsung Messages

To take pleasure in RCS Chat options on both Google Messages or Samsung Messages, you need to allow them manually. Right here’s how one can can do it:

1. Go to Settings on both app
2. On Google Messages, faucet RCS chats. On Samsung Messages, faucet Chat settings.
3. Allow RCS chat options in both case.

Word: For those who use a dual-SIM cellphone, you’ll be able to solely allow RCS chat on the primary SIM. You might need to confirm your quantity manually if the apps don’t mechanically allow it.

Each apps additionally permit you to disable RCS or default to sending a message as SMS or MMS if a message can’t be despatched over the web.

Particular options in Google Messages

Other than an excessive amount of similarities in fundamental functioning, Google Messages and Samsung Messages apps provide distinctive options not out there on the opposite. Right here’s a rundown of these distinctions.

Automated Sorting

Google Messages gives automated sorting of messages into the next classes:

• Private, together with messages to and from different individuals
• Transactions, together with alerts out of your financial institution, bank card firms, and different providers suppliers
• OTPs or One Time Passwords used for authentication (or 2FA)
• Presents for promotional messages

For some customers, this categorization could also be restricted to solely two teams, Private and Enterprise, based mostly on location.

In Google Messages, it’s also possible to select the first class that seems whenever you open the app. It’s also possible to choose the choice to allow auto-delete for OTPs 24 hours after receiving them to cut back the muddle in your inbox.

Google Assistant-powered strategies

Google Messages makes use of A.I. to supply an array of strategies in messages. Apart from the Good Replies we talked about above, Google Messages suggests emoji, GIFs, and stickers which can be contextual to the messages. Google says these strategies are generated on the system as a substitute of being processed on the cloud, thereby staying non-public to you and others within the chat.

Aside from strategies, Google Messages will enable you to create Calendar occasions or set reminders if you happen to obtain a message about an occasion. This, once more, occurs fully offline and with out Google prying on you. For those who obtain a location (or a Google Maps hyperlink) in a message, Google Messages will provide a fast preview of that space on Maps and likewise permit you to navigate to that place. Lastly, Google Messages can present reminders for birthdays if the opposite contact has a Google account related to their quantity. For those who discover these strategies intrusive, you’ll be able to flip them off from the Recommendations menu contained in the app’s Settings.

Emoji responses

Emojis have grow to be the extra standard technique to route small discuss, and reactions show actually helpful right here. Like WhatsApp, Instagram, iMessage, and so forth., Google Messages additionally means that you can react to messages with a broad vary of emojis. These reactions are solely out there as a part of RCS-enabled chats and require others to additionally use Google Messages.

The Samsung Messages app doesn’t assist emoji reactions and can show your response as a brand new message highlighting it.

Changing media to hyperlinks

Sending media by way of MMS can accrue a further price, particularly if you happen to’re not on an infinite mobile plan. To stop that, Google Messages mechanically converts media shared with non-RCS customers into direct internet hyperlinks, which let you open media in an online browser. For privateness, these hyperlinks are solely legitimate for 72 hours.

Desktop continuity

Google Messages means that you can view and reply to messages out of your cellphone on a pc through the use of the “Gadget pairing” choice from the three-dot menu on the welcome display. Similar to on WhatsApp Internet, you must open Google Messages for internet in your PC browser and hyperlink up your cellphone. It should be famous that to ship or obtain messages instantly from the PC, your cellphone should even be related to the web. Samsung Messages doesn’t have such a function.

You’ll be able to, nevertheless, use Microsoft’s Your Telephone Companion app to reflect your Android system to your Home windows PC’s display. Apart from viewing and responding to messages, it’s also possible to make calls, view and handle notifications, copy or drag and drop textual content or information throughout your cellphone and PC, entry your cellphone’s storage, and even forged the cellphone’s show onto the PC’s display. It should be famous that Your Telephone Companion will not be restricted to Samsung gadgets and can be utilized with any Android system, together with these operating Google Messages. Sadly, this is not going to be potential on a Mac with out third-party instruments like AirDroid or KDE Join.

Particular options in Samsung Messages

These are the particular options you get in Google Messages, however what about Samsung Messages? Samsung’s record of unique options isn’t fairly as exhaustive, however there’s nonetheless some fascinating stuff to take a look at.

Recycle bin

The Recycle Bin inside Samsung Messages incorporates messages and conversations deleted by you within the final 30 days. If wanted, you’ll be able to restore these messages or go away them as they’re for automated deletion after the 30-day window. The Recycle Bin may be useful for situations whenever you delete messages by mistake.

Chat display customization

One other fascinating function on Samsung Messages that’s lacking on Google Messages is the flexibility to customise a chat’s background and message bubble colours. You’ll be able to select a customized shade for the chat background or apply an image because the background to vary the texture of the chat altogether. The background and customized colours may be chosen for a specific dialog or utilized to all chats with a single faucet. It’s also possible to tweak the visibility of message bubbles and textual content based mostly on the wallpaper.

Shared doc overview

When utilizing Samsung Messages for a web-based RCS-based chat, you get an summary of the beforehand shared paperwork. Head to the particular dialog, faucet the three-dot button on the top-right, after which faucet Shared attachments.

Google Messages doesn’t provide an identical capacity to consolidate shared media in a single place, leaving you to scroll whereas trying to find a beforehand shared file, picture, or video.

Good actions

Similar to Google Messages’ recommended actions, Samsung Messages will get good strategies based mostly on sure triggers inside messages, reminiscent of a date or a location. Samsung Messages gives direct buttons so as to add an occasion to the calendar or navigate to a location. The strategies, nevertheless, don’t really feel as thorough as with Google Messages.

Google Messages vs. Samsung Messages: availability and system assist

As talked about above, Google Messages has grow to be the default SMS app for Android. You’ll be able to select numerous third-party apps from the Google Play Retailer, however most customers are unlikely to take that route, primarily because of privateness issues and an absence of belief of third-party providers. When you have purchased an Android cellphone since early 2022, it possible comes preloaded with the app. Nonetheless, if in case you have an older system — or it doesn’t include the app preinstalled, you’ll be able to obtain Google Messages from the Play Retailer. No flat-out minimal necessities exist, and the app ought to work on any cellphone purchased inside the final 5 years.

Samsung Messages is unique to Samsung gadgets and won’t work on telephones from some other model. Even if you happen to attempt to sideload the app utilizing an APK, the set up received’t full. For those who personal a Samsung cellphone (ideally operating One UI), it is going to include the most recent app preinstalled. But when for some cause it doesn’t, you’ll be able to obtain Samsung Messages from the Galaxy Retailer.

Notably, RCS options on each messaging apps will rely on assist out of your service. Within the U.S., main suppliers, together with Verizon, AT&T, T-Cell, and Dash, assist RCS. As well as, you’ll be able to take pleasure in RCS with Google Fi and loads of pay as you go suppliers. At Google I/O, Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice chairman, introduced that RCS has over 800 million customers worldwide — a quantity that continues to be unique of Apple customers.

Google Messages vs. Samsung Messages: Which must you use?

The selection between Google Messages and Samsung may be overwhelming. Whereas we hope our comparability helps ease the choice, right here’s a fast recap that can enable you to choose the precise app.

Google Messages has grow to be the default app for textual content messaging on Android. Regardless of being meant to work primarily for SMS-based messaging, the app additionally facilitates sharing multimedia by way of a contemporary protocol known as RCS, much like Apple’s iMessage. Alongside textual content messages, RCS means that you can ship media in actual time. It additionally helps emoji reactions to messages, in addition to an on the spot typing indicator. Apart from RCS, Google Messages mechanically organizes messages into classes that will help you separate conversations with individuals and companies. Lastly, it additionally gives good strategies, reminiscent of prompts so as to add calendar occasions or reminders, powered by Google Assistant’s AI, whereas processing this knowledge fully on the system.

Samsung Messages additionally helps RCS-based messaging, identical to Google Messages. Along with the common media codecs in Google Messages, Samsung Messages additionally helps customized stickers and GIFs by way of Samsung’s AR emojis — equivalent to Apple’s Memoji, however arrange manually — and Bitmoji. You additionally get the choice to customise the chat display for particular person conversations (or unexpectedly). Lastly, you’ll be able to retrieve by chance deleted messages by way of the Recycle Bin, which isn’t out there on Google Messages.

So to sum it up, Google Messages ensures a wiser expertise by way of AI strategies and automated group, whereas Samsung prioritizes personalization and integrating enjoyable options reminiscent of AR stickers. You’ll be able to select the precise app for your self based mostly on the options you want from a super messaging platform.

Editors’ Suggestions