Samsung Messages shutdown is limited to the US market for now

Early last month, Samsung announced that it would shut down its default texting app in July and suggested that users switch to Google Messages instead. However, the company has since clarified that the shutdown is currently limited to the US, and other regions can continue using Samsung Messages for the foreseeable future.

Samsung seems to have updated its end-of-service announcement since we covered the news, and has added a line stating that the shutdown is “applicable to the US market only.” This statement was not present at the time of our original coverage of this news.

However, the good news is that if you’ve preferred using Samsung’s texting app for your messaging needs, and you’re not in the US, you can rest easy at least for now. Though the company has clarified that the shutdown is limited to the US, it might be the beginning of a wider shutdown coming down the line. However, this hasn’t been confirmed and is simply conjecture at this point.

It’s also worth noting that the shutdown will not affect users with devices running Android 11 or earlier. Further, users with devices running Android 12 or 13 will have to manually replace the Samsung Messages app icon on their home screen dock.

If you are still using Samsung Messages, you should see an option to switch to Google Messages. Alternatively, you can simply download Google Messages and set it as the default messaging app on your smartphone.