Poll results: Galaxy users aren’t that sad to see Samsung Messages go

Is there no loyalty with Android? Apple’s iPhone users can seem all too eager to close ranks and view the world as green vs blue bubbles, but do we have anywhere near the same kind of brand allegiance on this side of the fence? And even if you do have a favorite manufacturer of phone hardware, do you feel as positive about the company’s software? We’ve been thinking about this in the context of messaging apps recently, as Google Messages starts replacing Samsung Messages on new Galaxy devices. But to hear the way you’ve been talking about it, this isn’t that big a deal, with many Samsung users eager to make the switch.

Samsung’s not outright killing off Messages at this time, but it has stopped pre-loading the app on new Galaxy phones in at least some markets. And while you can still manually install the app through the Galaxy Store, the company warns of a diminished user experience, with “some features” excluded.

There are plenty of good reasons why it makes sense for Samsung to push users towards Google’s solution, and maybe the biggest one there concerns RCS. While both apps support this modern messaging standard, Google’s implementation promises a more consistent experience for users across carriers. But it’s also still a work in progress, and while the situation looks like it’s getting better for issues like how Google Messages handles image compression, right now that’s still something Samsung does better.

More than that, Samsung Messages has offered a lot quality of life features that Google’s app lacks, like the ability to personalize conversations with a splash of color, or retrieve deleted message from a recycling bin. Since we could see preferences really going either way, we put the question to you:

It’s maybe short of a slam dunk, but your preference seems clear: Google Messages will work just fine as a replacement for Samsung Messages. While there’s a solid contingent of Samsung loyalists who might find themselves grumbling when their next Galaxy phone arrives without the correct Messages app, it looks like most of you won’t think twice about leaving that old messaging experience in the rear-view mirror.

Some of you big Samsung fans shared a few of your thoughts about what you’ll miss the most in our poll’s comments. One major source of appeal you mentioned was the ability to easily categorize conversations, grouping messages from contacts you have the same sort of relationship with. Another small but useful one is Samsung’s ability to selectively copy text from messages, rather than throwing the entire thing on your clipboard at once.

Still, the tide of progress won’t be held back, and Samsung Messages is clearly on the way out. Enjoy its unique functionality while you can — and maybe keep those fingers crossed that Google thinks about copying some of those features for itself.

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