Samsung Messages removed and not in Galaxy Store

[zhyxgg]

I'm trying to set up my old s23 Ultra for my mother and after I factory reset everything it appears that a lot of the apps that I had on the phone prior to the big update are no longer available. One of the main apps that I am trying to get back are the Samsung messages but I guess it's no longer available on Samsung s23 but somehow available on my s25? Make it make sense Samsung!!! What is going on with you?! Why are you becoming the enemy after we have supported you for so long 🥲 now I regret factory resetting my phone because I could have kept those apps. Now I'm going to have to try to find a APK 😭 Samsung has to listen to all the complaints about all the updates!!!!! PLEASE!

[Panda007]

For me not aesthetics.
SM allows grouping sms categories, and i can put tags. For me GM is hard to find older msgs.

And our phones only 2yrs. Sammy should not put it out to pasture 🐮 🐮

[Roryxx04]

It's on my s24 after a factory reset and I want it gone 😭 i can't even disable it 😭

[realaud]

What is?  Google Messages or Samsung Messages?  Google Messages can absolutely be uninstalled, although you may have to do it through the Play store.  Samsung messages, maybe not so much, but you can just ignore it and hide it, as you can only have one messaging app active at a time.

[Panda007]

@zhyxgg

I am new to using this app /forums.

If you can open or search same title in my reddit . i list ways to get SM and possibly RCS .

https://www.reddit.com/r/oneui/s/BANq8kIPTV

Please report back if you get RCS working on it !

That would give me hope fory s23u 🤭😁

[Panda007]

Apparently SM version 15.7 is the newer fork in galaxy store

[Orphanedhanyou]

I can't find Samsung Messages in Galaxy Store either. I wish Google could have themes, but the main reason I want it as a backup is Google has no trash bin & Voicemail doesn't either. Apparently if you hit delete vs archive on accident its just gone unless you have Samsung Messages (according to a Google search on retrieving deleted voicemail I'm trying to follow).

[realaud]

Google Messages has limited themes - All color blocks.  You have to choose a color for individual chats, not the overall app.  The overall app only has dark/light theme.  Even if you have Samsung messages as a backup, deleting a message from Google Messages will not land it in the Samsung Messages trash.  I suggest sending feedback to Google on the features you'd like to see in their apps.

[Naomi4]

Google Messages is set up to hide things, as if we're all teenagers with something to hide. Samsung Messages has a lot more functionality and features to be used as a business person at times needs to transfer or share data in a text msg during a long thread. Samsung Messages allows that and will hold the reader's place where they left off.
Google Messages goes back to the last message every time, and is very inconvenient and time consuming to scroll back and find where you left off.
Google Messages does not have a Trash bin as was previously mentioned. That's very bad if something gets deleted accidentally.
And the Search feature in Samsung Messages is a big deal and important to have.

Google Messages is for kids and social media users, not for a person using text for other purposes for work and research.

[realaud]

Samsung Messages is no longer available for your phone.  If you are unable to see it in the Galaxy store, it is not available to you. I believe they have a limited version for the S24 models and a version with RCS for the S25s.  Everyone else has to either switch to Google Messages, keep their Samsung Messages if they already have it on their device (they will no longer be able to download it if they reset their phone or uninstall it), or locate it on an apk mirror site.

I don't understand what you mean about Google hiding stuff from you.  I have been using Google Messages since its inception and never had anything hidden, except spam messages. I also don't know about what you mean about returning to the last message instead of where you left off.  Did not leave off at your last message?  When I open the app, new messages in a chat bring that chat to the top of my list.  If there are no new messages, I believe the last chat I was in is at the top, but I don't pay much attention, as I can search and scroll if I need to find something else.  If I open a chat, the last message received is always the first one to be seen, right above the text window.  If my chat list gets too long, I can archive chats that are not current to make it easier to scroll.  Archived chats are hidden so they are not "accidentally" deleted, and they come back to life if a participant sends a message and can be accessed if I am the one who wants to revive the chat.

The no trash bin could be problematic for some, but I find it hard to accidentally delete a chat or message, since it always asks you to confirm the action of deletion - it has to be a purposeful act.

I'm sorry, you will just have to go forward and get used to using Google messages, as Samsung has no interest in reviving or maintaining their messaging app.  You can, of course, use something like Textra if you are OK with continuing with SMS and not have RCS functionality.  You can use any messaging app you want, except Samsung Messages.