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PSA: Verizon Message Plus shuts down today, time to switch to replacement apps
- Verizon Message Plus is shutting down today.
- Users won’t be able to send or receive messages, and the app itself won’t be available to download.
- Verizon recommends switching to Google Messages or Apple Messages, depending on your device.
Verizon is finally shutting down its Message Plus app today. The gradual shutdown of the app started in October, but as of today, the app will be fully discontinued. This means three things — you will no longer be able to use Message Plus to send or receive messages, any messages you may have scheduled to be sent out today or after will not be sent, and you will no longer be able to download Message Plus from the Google Play Store or the App Store.
The carrier gave users plenty of notice before sunsetting Message Plus, but if you’ve left it to the last minute, it’s time you took some steps. Verizon officially recommends that Message Plus users on Android move over to Google Messages. In fact, Google also recently released a guide for Verizon Messages Plus users to help them find their favorite features and introduce them to new ones on Google Messages.
How to move from Verizon Message Plus to Google Messages?
If you don’t already have the Google Messages app, you’ll have to download it from the Play Store. When you first open the app, you can make Google Messages your default SMS app by tapping the Set default SMS app message.
When you switch over from Message Plus to Google Messages, your conversations and media will also transfer seamlessly, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything or taking any extra steps to move your data. Google Messages will automatically sync your SMS/MMS and photos and videos that are less than 5MB in size. That said, Enhanced groups and some Message Plus-specific app features won’t sync with Google Messages. Your email alias functionality (alias@vtext.com) will also no longer work when Message Plus is discontinued.
However, Verizon wants users to know that group texts may show messages with a 588 area code just before Message Plus shuts down. This means that your number has “left the group.” The network notification texts don’t require users to do anything, so if you see them, you can delete or ignore them.
If you’re an Apple user, Verizon recommends switching over to the default Messages app.
Verizon attributes the shutdown of Message Plus to the rapidly changing messaging space and increased competition. Going forward, the carrier will pre-load Google Messages on all its Android devices.