topic Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ in Samsung Lounge

Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

GusB — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:25:27 GMT

This may not be 100% factual, but I've done mybest to try and understand the reasons behind this decision.

A new Messaging Standard

Officially called the GSMA Universal Profile 4.0 but aka RCS 4.0, is supposed to be the latest "big leap" for texting, and it seems to be the primary reason Samsung is stopping its own Messages app.

The GSMA (organization that sets global mobile communication standards) finalized the Rich Communicstion Services(RCS) 4.0 standard in late March 2026, and it’s supposed to be the industry’s way of making text messaging feel exactly likeWhatsApp oriMessage without needing a third-party app.

What is RCS 4.0?

If RCS 1.0 was about getting "Read Receipts" and Typing Bubbles, RCS 4.0 is about high-end multimedia and deep integration. Its biggest features include:

-Native Video Calling: This is the "killer feature." You can now jump from a text thread directly into a high-def video call without opening Google Meet, Zoom, or WhatsApp. It's built right into the chat window.

-Rich Text Formatting: For the first time, you can natively bold, italicize, or ~~strikethrough~~ your text messages.

-Late-Joining Group Calls: If your friends start a group video call while you're busy, you can "hop in" later directly from the chat thread, just like on Discord or Slack.

-Ultra-High-Def Media: It improves how phones "talk" to each other to ensure you're sending the highest quality video file the recipient's screen can actually handle.

Samsung Messages

Samsung islikely stopping the app because keeping up with these standards is becoming an expensive, technical headache. Here’s why it could be best to hand over to Google:

-Compatabilty: For RCS 4.0 features (like native video calling) to work between a Samsung user and a Pixel user—or an iPhone user—everyone has to be on the same "standard."

Google is the one building the servers (Jibe) that make this work. Samsung have probably decided it’s easier to use Google’s engine than to build its own.

The Fruit Factor: 🍎 finally integrated RCS with end-to-end encryption in iOS 26.5 (released April 2026). To ensure Samsung users have a seamless, encrypted experience when texting iPhones, Samsung needs to be perfectly synced with Google's latest security patches.

AI Features: Samsung is heavily pushing Galaxy AI. Google Messages has already integrated Gemini and advanced scam detection directly into the app. Rather than rebuilding these AI tools for Samsung Messages, Samsung may just be moving users to where the tech already lives.

For those deep into Samsung Messages, the good news could be that when the new Google Messages lands, it will be fatlr superior than is current offerings, especially if it want to temp people away from Meta/WhatsApp.

Disclaimer: Written by a real person - Whilst AI was used for research, this has not been written by AI.

Sources: https://www.phonearena.com/news/google-messages-is-about-to-pull-even-further-ahead-of-imessage-and-heres-why_id179200

https://www.itvoice.in/samsung-to-phase-out-proprietary-messages-app-transition-to-google-messages-begins-for-galaxy-users?hl=en-GB#:~:text=For%20years%2C%20Samsung%20Messages%20served,push%20for%20a%20singular%20standard.

https://www.androidpolice.com/imessage-is-struggling-to-maintain-its-dominance-thanks-to-this-rcs-update/?hl=en-GB#:~:text=On%20March%2026%2C%202026%2C%20GSMA,to%20feature%20parity%20with%20iMessage.

https://chromeunboxed.com/rcs-universal-profile-4-0-arrives-with-native-video-calls-to-benefit-all-smartphone-users/?hl=en-GB#:~:text=The%20update%20also%20improves%20how,getting%20a%20web%2Dlike%20upgrade.

https://m.economictimes.com/us/science-tech/samsung-messages-app-discontinued-tech-giant-pulls-the-plug-on-its-messages-app-users-must-switch-to-this-platform-by-july/articleshow/130051047.cms?hl=en-GB

Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

Pickle247 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:20:32 GMT

@GusB ..you're a real person? 🤔

Re: Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

GusB — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:21:04 GMT

Doing my best. Bad you have to state that these days 😂

Re: Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

GusB — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:21:28 GMT

Maybe that's my pronoun - 'Real Human'

Re: Re: Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

Pickle247 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:22:12 GMT

..lol, sorry... I WAS going to delete that but you answered too quickly... 🤦

Re: Re: Re: Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

GusB — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:23:25 GMT

😂

Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

arianwen27 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:27:16 GMT

Similar to what I've been saying for years at this point.

RCS was a concept. Samsung made their own implementation of it for their own phones.

Google later made an implementation for every phone.

Since google was already doing all the work, samsung didn't need to keep developing and fixing their sorta offshoot version that most devices weren't using.

On a technical level they both try to do the same thing. Just one version is by google and runs on every phone. The other was an early version made just for samsung. So samsung don't want the burden of keeping it working

Re: Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

GusB — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:27:49 GMT

High hopes for a proper WhatsApp style messenger...although it is reliant on your social circle moving over too

Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

keith30 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:28:33 GMT

It's all down to Google pushing Samsung to give up it's massaging app.

Re: Re: Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

arianwen27 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:29:18 GMT

Mhm. As it stands right now, google messages does 95% of what whastapp does. It's probably even a little more secure. But getting people to understand that it's not actually using sms anymore and you can do stuff with it is hard

Re: Re: Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

Pickle247 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:29:48 GMT

..luckily my circle is just 'one'... 😟

Re: Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

GusB — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:58:23 GMT

Re: Why is Samsung Messages Ending? READ

Obsydian — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 07:29:11 GMT

Thank you buddy.
I usually never use SMS apart from the odd 2FA.

But I find its more reliable for messages than WhatsApp when mobile or wifi coverage is poor, so use it allot on the school runs.