Google Messages and RCS have major support in the US because it’s the default messaging app on Samsung phones.
what you need to know
- Google Messages is the default messaging app for the Samsung Galaxy S22 series in the US.
- Last year, the Galaxy S21 series made Google Messages the default service in Europe and regions.
- In addition to traditional SMS and MMS text messages, Google Messages also supports RCS messages.
Google Messages isn’t Google’s first messaging app in the long run, but it’s the one that’s gaining the most traction, largely for enabling RCS messaging. The good news is that starting with the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, Google Messages is the default messaging app in the US. In addition to 9to5Google, we also confirmed that this is the case with our Galaxy S22 review sample.
In the U.S., all the best Android smartphones default to Google Messages—except Samsung. While Samsung’s own service supports RCS, it’s at the mercy of US carriers to make it work. With last year’s Galaxy S21 series, Samsung made Google Messages the default for the rest of Europe and the US, while preinstalling its own Samsung Messages.
Using RCS adds security to mobile messaging, but it also provides many features such as typing indicators, the ability to send larger files, read receipts, reactions, and more.
Google Messages on Pixel 6 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy S22 Ultra
As you can see in the image above, Google Messages looks the same on the Google Pixel 6 Pro and Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, judging by the images of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, it has a very different style from Samsung’s One UI 4. Whether this visual difference will affect other Samsung devices beyond the S21 and S22 is unclear, but the sentiment remains the same for Google Messages becoming more widely accessible.
This has good implications for RCS, which has been in public discussion lately due to Apple’s lack of support for the growing standard. That said, major US carriers have all announced Google Messages as the default on their newer Android phones, another major boost to the service.
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