The best alternative depends on what you need to replace. If you still need to send and receive ordinary SMS and MMS through your phone number, look at Android SMS apps such as Pulse SMS, Textra SMS, Chomp SMS, and Handcent Next SMS. If you want private conversations with people who use the same service, Signal is an option—but it cannot handle SMS or MMS. WhatsApp and Telegram are also separate internet messaging services, not replacements for your phone’s SMS inbox.
Before switching, distinguish SMS/MMS, RCS, and app-based messaging: they use different services, have different compatibility requirements, and do not share the same encryption protections.
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Choose an alternative by the job you need it to do
Start with the messages and contacts you need to keep reaching. An SMS app can manage texts sent through your phone number; an internet messenger works through its own service and generally requires contacts to join it. Replacing Google Messages as your default SMS app is not the same as moving every conversation to another messaging network.
- Keep phone-number SMS/MMS: Consider Pulse SMS, Textra SMS, Chomp SMS, or Handcent Next SMS, then verify current compatibility and features for your phone.
- Prioritize private app-to-app conversations: Consider Signal for contacts who also use Signal. It does not send or receive SMS/MMS.
- Want RCS: Check whether the app, device, carrier, region, and other participants support it. Do not assume an alternative SMS app supports RCS.
- Want another internet messenger: WhatsApp and Telegram are separate services. They do not take over SMS/MMS handling by themselves.
For any candidate app, check whether it can send and receive SMS/MMS, whether it supports RCS on your setup, which messages are end-to-end encrypted, whether recipients need the same app, and whether it meets your needs for desktop access, customization, scheduling, spam controls, or migration. Confirm current availability, permissions, backup behavior, Android requirements, and any subscription terms in the app’s current listing.
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What SMS, MMS, RCS, and internet messaging mean
SMS and MMS
SMS and MMS are carrier-based messaging formats associated with a phone number. An app that serves as the phone’s default SMS client can manage them, subject to the phone and carrier’s behavior. SMS/MMS does not gain Google Messages’ RCS encryption protections simply because you use a different messaging app.
RCS
RCS is a messaging standard that can support features such as file sharing, high-resolution photos, typing indicators, and read receipts. RCS chats use mobile data or Wi-Fi. Google says everyone in a conversation must have RCS enabled for the exchange to use RCS; otherwise, messages can be sent as SMS or MMS. See Google’s RCS security documentation.
RCS is not a guarantee that every messaging app offers the same service or security. Google’s description of Google Messages’ protections should not be generalized to all RCS clients.
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Internet messaging apps
Services such as Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram use their own app-based networks rather than acting as a general-purpose SMS/MMS inbox. They can be useful for conversations with people on those services, but switching to one does not ensure that you can still text every phone number through your carrier.
Android SMS apps to consider
These options are candidates if your main goal is a different interface or set of conveniences while retaining an SMS client. The available comparison describes features, not hands-on test results; check the current app listing and your device before relying on a specific capability.
| App | Potential fit | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse SMS | Customization and messaging across devices | Current feature set and subscription terms; cross-device features may depend on the current offering. |
| Textra SMS | Visual and notification customization, scheduling, and per-contact options | Current Android compatibility and whether the features you want remain available. Do not assume Google Messages-style RCS or encryption. |
| Chomp SMS | A customizable default SMS client; a July 28, 2026 Android Central guide also lists passcode lock, dual-SIM support, and scheduling | Current feature availability and compatibility with your Android version and device. |
| Handcent Next SMS | SMS with extras; the July 28, 2026 Android Central guide lists desktop notifications and cloud backups | Current feature availability, account requirements, and backup behavior. |
The feature descriptions for these apps reflect a dated editorial snapshot in Android Central’s guide, last updated July 28, 2026. They are not a guarantee that a feature, price, or requirement is unchanged today.
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Private messaging: Signal and other separate networks
Signal
Signal is for private messaging and calls with people who also use Signal. Signal Support says the app cannot send or receive SMS/MMS; its former Android SMS feature was removed. Both people need Signal for private communication. That makes Signal a possible complement to an SMS app, not a drop-in replacement for the phone’s text-message inbox. See Signal Support’s explanation.
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WhatsApp and Telegram are alternatives if you want an internet messenger and are willing to use a separate network. They are not substitutes for an app that handles SMS/MMS through your phone number. Check the current service and account requirements before moving conversations or asking contacts to switch.
Understand the encryption boundary before switching
“Encrypted” does not always mean end-to-end encrypted. Google says RCS chats between Google Messages users are end-to-end encrypted by default. When end-to-end encryption is unavailable, Google’s RCS service uses TLS to protect messages between the user and Google. Those statements apply to the described Google Messages RCS service, not to SMS/MMS or every RCS app. Consult Google’s security documentation for its explanation.
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Encryption depends on the message type and participating service. Before choosing an app for sensitive conversations, establish which conversations are protected, whether protection is end-to-end, and whether every participant must use the same service. Do not infer a protection level from an app’s general claim that messages are encrypted.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.RCS between Android and iPhone: rollout depends on eligibility
On May 11, 2026, Google announced that end-to-end encrypted RCS between Android and iPhone users was beginning a beta rollout for iPhone users on iOS 26.5 with supported carriers, and Android users on the latest Google Messages. Google said the feature would roll out over time for new and existing RCS conversations, subject to device support and E2EE availability. That announcement describes a qualified rollout, not universal availability; check Google’s announcement for current eligibility and status.
In that announcement, Elmar Weber, GM, Android and Business Communications, wrote: “Google Messages has had end-to-end encrypted messaging between Android devices for years, but we knew we couldn’t stop there.”
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Switching apps: protect your existing conversations
Changing the default SMS app and moving to an internet messaging service are different transitions. Before changing anything, check whether the candidate is available for your phone, whether it can handle the messages you need, and what it does with existing threads, backups, and accounts. Do not assume that conversations or backups will transfer between unrelated services.
- Identify your must-keep messages. Decide whether you need SMS/MMS, RCS, app-to-app conversations, or some combination.
- Check the candidate’s current listing and requirements. Confirm Android compatibility, permissions, account or subscription requirements, and any desktop, scheduling, backup, or customization features you rely on.
- Review migration and backup behavior before switching. Confirm how the app handles existing SMS/MMS threads and whether its backup method meets your needs. For an internet messenger, check that service’s own migration process.
- Set the default SMS app through your phone’s settings if appropriate. Android labels and menu paths can differ by manufacturer and version; look for the default-app setting for SMS rather than assuming a universal path.
- Test the conversations you depend on. Check messages with the contacts and services you use, including whether a conversation is using RCS or has fallen back to SMS/MMS.
Samsung Messages users: check your phone’s transition options
Android Central’s July 2026 guide reports that Samsung Messages was discontinued and that Samsung phones were moving to Google Messages. It also reports that message threads can be transferred to Google Messages and that Android’s default SMS app can be changed in settings. Timing and availability may differ by phone and region, so check your device’s settings and current manufacturer guidance before changing apps. See Android Central’s guide.
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