If you care about RCS messaging, it’s time to say goodbye to Samsung Messages. Samsung made a bold move when it shipped the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 in the US with Google Messages set as the default. It’s likely repeating the same strategy with the upcoming Galaxy S25 series, which debuts at Galaxy Unpacked on January 22.
Back in December, Verizon also made it clear, urging users to switch to Google Messages since Samsung Messages will no longer support RCS after January 6, 2025. Today’s January 7, which means Samsung Messages and RCS don’t fit into one sentence anymore.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will use Google Messages by default
For a while now, Samsung has been pushing to speed up RCS adoption. It’s been doing so by switching its Galaxy phones to Google Messages as the default. You might be wondering, why would Samsung do that? Well, the key difference is that, unlike Samsung Messages, which relies on carrier support for RCS, Google Messages has RCS built into the system itself. RCS offers modern messaging features like typing indicators and read receipts. And with iPhones now supporting RCS messaging through iOS 18, it’s starting to feel like a much more connected system across the board.
In some regions, Samsung has completely stopped including its Samsung Messages app. In others, Google Messages is set as the default even if Samsung Messages is still pre-installed. The same will happen with the upcoming Galaxy S25 series, which will ship with Google Messages as the default. On top of that, Verizon made waves last month by shutting down its Message+ app, pushing users toward Google Messages.
RCS, according to, Samsung is a “modern, interoperable standard for enhanced messaging.” In a press release touting the benefits of RCS, Samsung Mobile’s Patrick Chomet was quoted, as saying, “We’ve been working with Google on RCS for years to provide users with a seamless, connected messaging experience.”
