I’m not sure if this is a win for Google or Samsung, but I’m fairly certain it’s a win for customers. The US version of Galaxy S22 comes with Google Messages as default messaging app, something that hasn’t happened until now.
Although Samsung Galaxy users could install Google Messages app on their devices after buying them, there was no instance in which the app would come pre-installed as default messaging app.
As per 9to5google’s report, the US variants of the Galaxy S22 series now have Google Messages app pre-installed, and what’s more exciting is that this also bring RCS (Rich Communication Services) support, a more advanced version of texting.
Having Google Messages as default messaging app on the Galaxy S22 series is a big step forward toward making RCS a widespread messaging protocol in the United States. As more carriers and handset manufacturers adopt RCS, the far more advanced messaging experience will be exposed to wider audiences.
Of course, Galaxy S22 users can always return to Samsung Messages and set it as their default messaging app if they want the same basic messaging experience. In fact, there are multiple messaging apps that Android users can set as default apps to handle their SMS, MMS and RCS (in some cases), including Messenger and Telegram, but Google Messages is pretty much the peak these days.
