Google Messages is a free messaging application developed by Google. It aims to blend traditional SMS with modern RCS capabilities, creating a seamless communication experience. As a user, you navigate through a clean interface that adapts to your device's theme, offering a personalized touch, and it also offers multiple language support.

Google Messages strives to elevate basic texting by offering enhanced features like read receipts, high-resolution media sharing, and improved group chats when RCS is enabled. RCS is free and can be used even when you don’t have any texting credit, since it uses your internet connection to substitute for it.

The messaging app you only need

Google Messages gives you a familiar interface, and expands with features like message categorization and robust spam protection. Message categorization lets you organize each message into a category of your choice, separating personal ones and business chats into their designated folders. Robust spam protection is also a built-in feature that filters any messages that come from scammers, junk texts, and other undesirable messages that intrude on your privacy.

Aside from that, you can also receive notifications in the form of chat bubbles. There are also options regarding faster photo sending, outgoing and incoming message sounds, pinch-to-zoom conversation text, and expressive animations. Dark mode is also here for night viewing, and voice message transcription for when you want to hear your messages. Additionally, you can add Gemini, Google’s own AI program, to generate chat replies.

Even if there are many great features in this app, there are still a couple of issues in need of improvement. First, SMS and RCS are still fragmented between different messaging standards. Google Lens integration is also another good feature, but you may encounter limitations when interacting with users on different platforms. Lastly, RCS will also depend on whether your carrier supports it.

Still one of the best messaging apps out there

Google Messages is a great modern SMS app, offering a suite of advanced features. It has a clean interface and features like spam protection and message organization, but the inconsistent RCS experience can be frustrating. However, if you and your contacts use RCS, you'll be treated to a more modern messaging experience.