Koshiro K/Shutterstock Google Messages is the texting app that comes pre-installed on all new Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones. It surpassed one billion active users way back in 2023 and has over 10 billion downloads on the Google Play Store as of this writing. It sees widespread use, but many users complain about inconsistent experiences, poor spam filtering, and a lack of availability for the RCS messaging standard . If you're tired of using Google Messages, there are several texting apps that are actually better in terms of usability and customizability. Considering that Samsung is phasing out its own proprietary messaging app in July 2026, a huge number of Android users will soon be left with Google Messages as their only default option. Even the most reliable phone carriers , like AT&T, stopped supporting their own texting apps years ago as well. Avoid being pushed into the Google Messages monopoly by checking out these four SMS-enabled alternatives instead.…