Samsung to retire Messages this July—five strong alternatives to switch to

Samsung will discontinue its Messages app in the US for Android 12+ devices this July (Android 11 and older are unaffected). Google Messages is the recommended replacement and now supports RCS with features like Wi‑Fi texting, high‑quality media sharing, typing indicators, read receipts, and end‑to‑end encryption. Other viable options include WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and Signal, each offering different trade-offs in security, features, and cross‑device use.