Samsung vs. news Google News: Why the change makes sense

Max Miller/SlashGear

Buying a Samsung Galaxy phone can be confusing due to the Korean tech giant’s annoying inclusion of what appear to be duplicate apps. When you unbox your shiny new Galaxy phone and turn it on, you’re faced with a multitude of calendar, clock, browser, and messaging apps, just to name a few. Users unfamiliar with Samsung’s approach to Android will find viewing them confusing. While Google apps are familiar to more users, Samsung clones provide better integration into the company’s hardware ecosystem and often offer really useful features. Even as someone who has been using Samsung phones regularly since the Galaxy S III reigned supreme, I still frequently switch between apps from both companies.

Choosing between Samsung Messages and Google News can be especially confusing. A 2020 study by Meta found that most users probably use the apps their phone comes with by default. However, when two pre-installed applications are competing for the user’s attention, it is tempting to choose one at random. When it comes to a messaging app, this choice can have the opposite effect as you may miss out on useful communication features.

However, in the case of Samsung Messages vs. Google Messages, there is one clear choice. Google Messages will remain on the market, and Samsung Messages has accepted defeat. After developing a closer relationship with Google in recent years, Samsung has somewhat sidelined its own messaging app and even offered a customized version of Google Messages in line with its One UI design philosophy. However, Samsung recently announced the future of its texting app, waving the white flag to Google.

Even Samsung wants you to use Google Messages

Max Miller/SlashGear

The bottom line is that for most people, Google Messages, not Samsung Messages, will be the best choice. Not only has Google put a lot of work into making its messaging app equivalent to iMessage on Android, but even Samsung would rather you use it at this stage. When I tried to return to Samsung Messages while writing this article, I was greeted by the screen shown in the image above, which took me back to Google Messages.

In fact, Samsung Messages will no longer be installed on any of its devices, leaving Google Messages as the clear – and only – choice between the two. The move was announced in July 2024, likely as part of Google’s broader push to make the RCS chat implementation default on Android. This means the end of the road for the remaining loyal Samsung Messages users. It’s unclear whether Samsung plans to discontinue the app entirely, perhaps forcing users to use Google Messages. However, even if it remains available, it will likely be petrified in its current form without any significant updates.

We’ve seen this story play out before. Samsung has long been wary of relying on Google software, and for many years shipped Galaxy Watches with its own Tizen operating system. This seemed to be a way for Samsung to show that its hardware wasn’t the usual Mountain View software delivery mechanism. Eventually, however, the chaebol complied by implementing Google’s WearOS on the Galaxy Watch 4. Since then, Samsung has further deepened its symbiotic relationship with the search giant, such as by combining Quick Share with Google’s Nearby Share feature. The abandonment of Samsung Messages is another clear sign of a deepening bond.

It’s not all bad news for the Samsung faithful

Mojahid Mottakin/Shutterstock

The main reason for choosing Samsung Messages has always been its integration with other Samsung products, such as the Galaxy Tab tablet and the Galaxy Book laptop. Using the “Call & Text on Other Devices” feature in One UI, users can now use the Samsung Messages app on any device to continue text calls from their phone. This is one of many productivity hacks on Galaxy devices. However, this feature is a bit redundant as Google News is also cross-platform and its functionality can be extended via a tablet app and a desktop web app. Full-fledged apps like what Samsung offers for the tablet version of Samsung Messages would be nice, but given Google’s interest in web apps thanks to the Chrome platform, it’s unlikely to happen in the near future.

Google News is a unique vision of RCS on Android. RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is an instant messaging protocol that Google helped put into widespread use on both Android and iOS. Now that Samsung has joined forces with Google, it’s clear that Google Messages is the app that both companies see as the future. This is where you’re most likely to get the best RCS experience, especially when chatting with other Android users.

Not to mention, the vast majority of Android users will now be using Google News, so the custom features Google builds into it will run more smoothly. For example, you can easily schedule text messages on Android, send animated custom emoji reactions, and more. Google has a history of horribly mismanaging its messaging strategy, but Google News seems to have given the company a refreshing clarity of vision.