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Like most Android users, I never really questioned my messaging app. Google Messages is what I used because it came as the default, and to be fair, it worked just fine. But ever since I switched to a Galaxy phone, I’ve started liking some of Samsung’s own apps over Google’s. This made me try Samsung Messages too, and I’m now in love with it.
It’s not because Samsung Messages offers any groundbreaking features, but because it gets the small details right. It offers more customization options, better organization, built-in translation, and many little things that make a difference.
Better organization and a handy search tool
A cleaner inbox
Like most people, I get a lot of messages, and not all of them are important. Some are personal, a few are from the bank, while others are just marketing messages I don’t even remember signing up for. Seeing all of these texts together in one long list means it’s easy for me to miss something that actually matters.
One of the first things that won me over to Samsung Messages is the built-in categories. It lets me sort conversations into neat sections such as Personal, Transactions, Miscellaneous, and more. This simple feature saves me so much time.
I don’t have to scroll past endless delivery updates and bank alerts just to find my actual conversations. I can switch to the relevant category and only see the messages I want to see.
Another small but handy feature is the search. In Google Messages, searching for a message only shows a snippet of the text, which often forces me to tap on the result only to realize it’s not what I was looking for. Compared to this, when I search for something in Samsung Messages, it shows the entire message. This means I don’t have to second guess when I tap on a message.
Plenty of customization options and easy translations
Looks better and works smarter
Another thing that Samsung Messages impresses with is its customization options. In Google Messages, the best you can do is switch between light and dark modes and tweak the chat colors for an individual conversation. That’s it.
Samsung Messages lets me change the background color or use an image from my Gallery, adjust the opacity of the chat bubble, and even fine-tune the text contrast. Samsung Messages also blends nicely with whatever theme I’m using on my Galaxy phone.
Even the dark mode in Samsung Messages looks comparatively better. It’s completely black instead of dark gray, which you get in Google Messages. It’s a small thing, but for anyone who swears by the dark mode like me, it matters.
There’s also the chat translation feature, which is especially useful for me. Both my carrier and the bank sometimes send messages in my local language, and Samsung Messages lets me translate them easily. This is something that’s missing from Google Messages.
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No AI distractions and a handy recycle bin
Fewer gimmicks, more useful features
This one really comes down to personal preference, but I’m not a fan of apps pushing AI features. Google Messages comes with Gemini, which lets you draft messages, ask questions, plan travels, and have casual conversations with AI.
I personally don’t find this useful in a messaging app. I also don’t love the fact it uses my IP address to get my location data. Samsung Messages keeps things simple and doesn’t have such AI distractions.
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Another thing I like about Samsung Messages is the Trash folder. Any time I delete a message, the app keeps it in the Trash folder for 30 days before removing it permanently. This is a good safety net in case I accidentally delete an important conversation. Google Messages, sadly, doesn’t have any kind of recycle bin.
There’s also the auto-delete feature in Samsung Messages, which automatically clears out any old texts after I hit 1000 messages. Google Messages also has an auto-delete feature, but it’s limited to OTPs only.
There are a couple of downsides, but I don’t mind them
If there’s one area where Google Messages wins for most people, it’s RCS. It’s a big deal, no doubt. Samsung Messages supports RCS too, but only the S25 series and a select few carriers in the US. In other words, it’s almost non-existent. This is a major pain point, but it doesn’t affect me as much, since text messages aren’t a big deal where I live.
Google Messages also has web support. You can open Google Messages on any browser, scan a QR code, and access all your messages on a PC or Mac. To do the same with Samsung Messages, you either need to use Phone Link or Samsung DeX to access your messages on a computer. I already use Phone Link on my PC, so this also doesn’t bother me. But for anyone who just wants quick, browser-based access to their texts, this can definitely be a bit frustrating.
