Samsung message is running out. Here’s the app I’m converting it to

Samsung Messages is ending — and this time forever, as the app will be officially shut down in July 2026. When I got my Galaxy S26 last month, Samsung Messages didn’t even come pre-installed. So, like most users, I trusted Samsung’s recommendation and started using Google Messages. It seemed like the obvious next step, but sadly it didn’t last very long.

Good thing I found something better: fossilize messages. It’s a free, open-source app that focuses on simplicity without the hassle. After using it for about a week, it feels like it’s the next best thing to Samsung Messages.

I really tried to like Google Messages, and I really gave it a fair chance. But the more I used Google’s texting app, the more it felt like it wasn’t made for me. Sure, people who like to use Google apps and services might want it, but it just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Let’s start with the design. Google Messages has a clean interface, but it’s also very… Google. And when I switch on it after using Samsung apps all day it appears immediately.

The bigger issue is customization, or rather the lack thereof. The best thing you can do is change the color of the chat bubble for individual conversations. You can’t change the background or font – only the bubble. That’s it. The theme option lets you switch between light and dark modes, and while I personally prefer using a dark theme everywhere, I don’t like Google’s implementation. It’s that mix of brown and black that never looks right. What’s worse is that there is no way to repair it.

Gemini is another part that doesn’t sit well with me. I get why it’s there, and I’m sure some people will like it. But to me, it seems more distracting than helpful. I don’t need Gemini’s magical creation to improve my messages. In my opinion messaging should be simple and straightforward. Of course, Gemini can also draw pictures, pull information from other Google apps, and answer any questions. This is all impressive, but it’s not something I want inside my messaging app. If anything, I’m glad Google gives users the option to turn off Gemini entirely.

All these things prompted me to look for an alternative, even if it meant leaving RCS. And honestly, I’m glad I did, because it inspired me to fossick the messages.

Fossify Messages feels very different from both Google Messages and Samsung Messages. It doesn’t try to do everything, and that’s why it works so well. It focuses on doing the basics really well, which is what text messaging should be all about. You get everything you really need – SMS, MMS, group messaging, message scheduling, and a search bar. But there are no unnecessary features or AI clutter that gets in your way. This simplicity is what makes the app so light and fast.

I also like the fact that Fossify Messages is completely free. This may not seem like much, but if you’ve ever used popular SMS apps like Pulse SMS or Textra, you know how rare this is. Those apps are great, no doubt, but they push you to pay – either to remove ads or to unlock additional features. Fossify Messages is exactly the opposite. You won’t see any annoying banners or locked features while using the app.

However, what makes it stand out is that it is open-source. This means anyone can look at the code to understand what the app is doing behind the scenes. This also means that the app is not designed to collect your data. In fact, Fossify Messages doesn’t require an account and works completely offline.

It’s not just the open-source nature or the clutter-free UI that sold me on the Fosify message. Those things definitely made me curious to try it, but it was the little details that kept me sticking around.

Take text selection, for example. Fossify lets me select specific parts of a message, which, strangely, you can’t do in Google Messages. And this is convenient because it lets me pick a line, an address, or a number instead of copying the entire message. Another small but useful feature is the ability to lock the app with a PIN, pattern, or biometrics. This isn’t something that’s natively possible on my Galaxy phone, so I find it useful.

When it comes to customization, Fossify Messages doesn’t limit me to the standard light and dark themes. It offers options like Dark Red, White, Black and White and completely customizable modes. That custom option lets me make changes to the text, background, and primary colors, as well as the color of the app icon. There’s also the option to change the font style, giving me complete control over how the app looks and feels. Sadly, there’s no option to change the chat background as you can in Samsung Messages, which is a bit of a miss, but overall, it doesn’t give you much to complain about.

Finally, while Fosify Messages doesn’t offer cloud sync, it does give me local backups. This means that if I ever change phones, I can take my messages with me by creating a backup file. Of course, none of this is groundbreaking, but these are things I found missing from Google Messages.

As good as Fossify Messages is, Samsung Messages is incredibly hard to beat. I still miss the ability to organize chats into categories and customize them with images from my phone’s gallery. Also, being a Samsung app, it matches perfectly with my Galaxy phone.

As far as Google Messages goes, I can’t deny that RCS is a great reason to stick with it. Anyone who relies on RCS really has no choice but to use Google Messages. However, for me, that compromise is not a dealbreaker. And that’s why Fossify Messages works so well for me.