Samsung Messages vs. Google Messages: What’s Better In 2024?
Despite the popularity of third-party messaging apps, texting is still widely used in the U.S. Google Messages is a familiar name for Android users, often serving as the default messaging app. This app represents Google's long journey through various messaging platforms.
Since at least 2017, Google has encouraged smartphone manufacturers to adopt its Dialer and Messages apps as the default. Now, all devices must use Google Messages as the standard messaging app.
If you've used Samsung phones before, you're probably familiar with Samsung Messages. It's preinstalled on all Samsung phones and can't be removed, even though it's no longer the default messaging app on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
When you get a new Samsung phone, you must decide between Google Messages and Samsung Messages. Each app has its strengths, but you can only use one simultaneously. This article will guide you in selecting the right messaging app for your Samsung phone by comparing Google Messages and Samsung Messages.
User Interface Battle
You'll find that Google messages and Samsung messages share many functions in terms of user interface. However, there are noticeable differences right away.
The message list starts halfway down the screen on Samsung Messages, which is aligned with Samsung's One UI that aims for easier one-handed use. The top half of the screen shows unread message counts, with a View button to see only unread messages.
This design is exclusive to Samsung phones, although Google Messages also adopts a similar approach for Samsung devices.
Both Google Messages and Samsung Messages organize messages from the same sender into conversations on their home screens. In Google Messages, you'll find a search bar at the top of the main screen, alongside your Google account profile picture.
Tapping on the profile picture or using the hamburger button on the left opens different menus. Both apps include a button at the bottom right to start composing new messages.
In contrast, Samsung Messages uses a search button instead of a dedicated bar, but it functions similarly. Tapping these elements opens a dedicated page where search results appear as you type. Google Messages arranges results by conversations, while Samsung Messages lists individual messages for easier navigation.
Under the search bar, Google Messages automatically categorizes messages into tags like Personal, Transactions, OTPs, and Offers. Samsung Messages also allows sorting into categories but requires manual creation and management of these categories.
Google Messages' automatic sorting simplifies keeping your SMS inbox organized compared to Samsung Messages.
You can archive messages by swiping across them in Google Messages. Like the Android Gmail app, you can customize actions for left and right swipes, choosing between archiving or deleting.
Interestingly, this swipe-to-archive feature must be added to Samsung Messages despite Samsung's “Phone app” supporting swipe actions on contact names for almost ten years.
Finally, you can manually select light or dark themes for the interface, independent of your phone's system theme, in Google Messages. Like other Google apps, the dark mode in Google Messages features a dark gray tint.
On the other hand, Samsung Messages automatically syncs its theme with your phone's overall theme and doesn't offer a manual choice between light and dark modes. Samsung uses a dual-shade background, with a darker shade in empty areas and a lighter shade behind the message list.
When composing and replying to messages, both Google Messages and Samsung Messages offer similar ways to start a new chat. You begin by tapping the button at the bottom, selecting a contact from your list, or entering their mobile number or email (only available on Google Messages).
Functionally, besides their visual differences, Google Messages and Samsung Messages operate alike. Alongside text, Google Messages allows you to send emojis, GIFs, stickers, and voice messages. Additionally, using RCS (Rich Communication Services), you can send files, contacts, and your location.
Like Apple’s iMessage, RCS functions work instantly over the internet, unlike SMS. However, both the sender and receiver need RCS-enabled devices to use these features.
Samsung Messages supports a variety of attachments, such as photos, GIFs, videos, voice messages, and emojis. Stickers can also be sent, but only when using Samsung's keyboard app. Like Google Messages, Samsung Messages can send multimedia instantly using RCS in chats.
In contrast, Google Messages provides “Smart Replies” powered by Google Assistant. These AI-generated responses appear as buttons for quick selection based on context and suitability. You can use “Quick response” templates in Samsung Messages to send texts swiftly.
You can customize these templates for faster access. Unlike Google Messages, the suggested responses in Samsung Messages are standard and not personalized by Google Assistant or Samsung's virtual assistant, Bixby.
Both messaging apps let you schedule messages to send later and provide direct buttons to make calls using Google Meet (formerly Duo). They also support scheduling messages for future delivery.
On Android 11 and newer versions, Google Messages allows you to view conversations as collapsible bubbles, akin to the Facebook Messenger app on Android.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) Chat Features
A messaging protocol meant to replace SMS and MMS RCS was initially defined as such by the GSM Association in 2007. It gained popularity in 2015 when Google acquired Jibe Mobile, a company that offered RCS services to mobile carriers.
Google launched Chat, a service supported by RCS, in 2018. It lets users send and receive rich multimedia like HD videos, emojis, and GIFs. It also includes features like read receipts and real-time typing indicators, similar to internet messengers like WhatsApp and iMessage.
Unlike Apple’s iMessage, RCS is not proprietary to a single company, making it accessible across various carriers and Android phone brands.
They collaborated with U.S. carriers to enable these features on smartphones and partnered with Samsung to ensure RCS messaging consistency across Samsung and other Android devices.
Today, RCS-based messaging is more widely available across many carriers and Android devices worldwide. However, Google Messages and Samsung Messages remain the primary first-party apps supporting RCS messaging.
Because RCS is interoperable, it allows seamless messaging between Google Messages and Samsung Messages.

Jim's passion for Apple products ignited in 2007 when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. This was a canon event in his life. Noticing a lack of iPad-focused content that is easy to understand even for “tech-noob”, he decided to create Tabletmonkeys in 2011.
Jim continues to share his expertise and passion for tablets, helping his audience as much as he can with his motto “One Swipe at a Time!”