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Samsung Messages to drop RCS support on this major US carrier next year
- According to messages received by Verizon users, Samsung Messages will no longer support RCS after January 6, 2025.
- Users are encouraged to switch to Google Messages.
- The change may be due to Verizon dropping support for RCS as Samsung Messages depends on the carrier for RCS, while Google Messages relies on Google’s own RCS servers.
Samsung confirmed earlier this year that Google Messages would be the new default texting app for its phones. This change meant that more users would be directed towards Google Messages, and one naturally expected Samsung to deprioritize the development of the Samsung Messages app. However, you could still use Samsung Messages for RCS if you really wanted to. For users who prefer Samsung Messages over Google Messages, there’s bad news coming your way, as Samsung Messages seems to be dropping support for RCS in 2025.
Reddit user Kickingseven and X user Clutch_DWG have highlighted a message received from their carrier, Verizon, announcing that Samsung Messages will no longer support RCS after January 6, 2025. The message recommends that the user switch to Google Messages.
Samsung’s decision to push users towards Google Messages is not new, but the date for discontinuing RCS functionality on the Samsung Messages app is certainly new.
It’s not immediately clear if this decision to discontinue RCS on Samsung Messages is from Samsung or Verizon. We couldn’t locate T-Mobile or AT&T users reporting such a message yet, and knowing how RCS messaging on the Samsung Messages app is carrier-dependent, there’s a good chance the decision comes from Verizon. It could be that Verizon has decided to stop supporting Jibe RCS, thus affecting apps like Samsung Messages that relied on it for RCS functionality. In contrast, Google Messages uses Google’s Jibe RCS servers, removing the carrier as the middleman.
As X user Clutch_DWG highlights, Google Messages isn’t a complete and perfect replacement for Samsung Messages, even though both are considered good messaging apps.
At least on Verizon, users who choose to stick it out with Samsung Messages will now have a considerably worse texting experience even with other Android users, as their messages will fall back to SMS instead of RCS. We recommend that impacted users try out Google Messages, as the app has steadily improved the user experience in recent months.
Will you switch from Samsung Messages to Google Messages?
We’ve contacted Samsung and Verizon for comments and clarifications on this issue. We’ll update this article when we hear back from either company.