The Galaxy S22 series ships with Android 12 and One UI 4.1, and although Samsung talked a bit about the latest software at Galaxy Unpacked, some minor details were left out. Or one was, at least. Namely that the Galaxy S22 series ships with Google Messages as the default messaging app in the United States.
Most Galaxy S22 customers in the USA probably won't notice that the default messaging app on their new phone is Google's because the app was fully integrated into One UI.
Last year, Samsung gave Google Messages on the Galaxy S21 series a new user interface to match the design language of One UI. The same app is now the default messaging solution for the Galaxy S22 stateside.
Google Messages comes with new never-before-seen features
The partnership between Google and Samsung seems to be bringing us the best of both worlds. Google Messages doesn't stick out among other Samsung apps, thanks to the custom-made design for One UI. And functionally speaking, both Samsung and Google Messages work very similarly, at least as far as basic functionalities are concerned.
However, Galaxy S22 customers who may want to use some of the features Samsung showcased at Unpacked 2022 will be glad that Google Messages is the default messaging app. Google's app was updated to offer advanced features such as YouTube video previews inside message threads — something that Samsung's proprietary app doesn't have.
So, as far as the majority of Galaxy S22 customers in the United States are concerned, they'll see an updated SMS app with new features, but they may never notice that it's Google Messages. However, if they should want to change back to using Samsung's solution, they have that option. Galaxy smartphone users can always change default apps from the ‘Settings' app, by accessing ‘Apps,' then tapping ‘Choose default apps' and selecting ‘SMS app.'
Join SamMobile’s Telegram group and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get instant news updates and in-depth reviews of Samsung devices. You can also subscribe to get updates from us on Google News and follow us on Twitter.