As RCS takes over the standard messaging service on Android, Google Messages is leading the charge. Yesterday, Samsung and Google announced that Google Messages will be “original” of the Galaxy S21, but without thinking in detail about what it means. Now we have a little more context.
In an interview with Engadget, Google’s Hiroshi Lockheimer, further says that Google Messages on the Galaxy S21 feels more “native” in two ways. First, there are some design and functionality adjustments to the app to make it work better with Samsung’s One UI and feel it belongs with that platform.
More importantly, it also means that Google Messages is the pre-installed and standard SMS / RCS app on the Galaxy S21, S21 + and S21 Ultra. To quote Hiroshi, however, the app is “unfortunately” not the standard experience in the United States. For unknown reasons, Samsung decided to stick with its own app only in the United States. Apart from a few exceptions, the rest of the world will see the S21 shipment with Google Messages in place of Samsung Messages.
With this step, Samsung is following some other Android OEMs to adopt Google Messages over a personal client. OnePlus, Motorola, LG and other companies have turned off their own apps to handle SMS for a faster and easier way to RCS. Samsung Messages has been supporting RCS for a long time, but Google Messages has at this point expanded the functionality of every Android phone on the planet.
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