The original code for Android SMS messaging was released in 2009 integrated into the operating system. It was released as a standalone application independent of Android with the release of
Android 5.0 Lollipop in 2014, replacing
Google Hangouts as the default
SMS app on
Google's Nexus line of phones. In 2018, Messages adopted
RCS messages and evolved to send larger data files, sync with other apps, and even create mass messages. This was in preparation for when Google launched Messages for web. In December 2019, Google began to introduce support for
Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging via an RCS service hosted by Google, referred to in the user interface as "chat features". The app surpassed 1 billion installs in April 2020, doubling its number of installs in less than a year. Initially, RCS did not support
end-to-end encryption. In June 2021, Google introduced end-to-end encryption in Messages by default using the
Signal Protocol, for all one-to-one RCS-based conversations, for all RCS group chats in December 2022 for beta users, and for all RCS users by August 2023, as well as enabling RCS for all users by default to encourage encryption. In July 2023, Google announced it would build the
Message Layer Security (MLS) end-to-end encryption protocol into Google Messages. Beginning with the
Samsung Galaxy S21, Messages replaces Samsung's in-house Messages app as the default
text messaging app for
One UI for some regions and carriers. In April 2021, the app began to receive UI modifications on Samsung devices to follow aspects of One UI, including pushing the top of the message list towards the middle of the screen to improve ergonomics. In February 2023, Google began to replace references to "chat features" in the Messages user interface with "RCS". In August 2023, Google announced that Messages will use RCS by default for all users unless they opt out, to allow them to benefit from secure messaging. In July 2024, Samsung announced it would no longer pre-install Samsung Messages on its Galaxy devices in some regions, starting with the
Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip, favoring Google Messages instead. In April 2026, Samsung announced that Samsung Messages would be discontinued in July 2026. It encouraged users to switch to Google Messages. ==Features==