Google Messages
Ranked 26 of 48 messaging apps by recommenders
Default Android messaging app whose RCS chats work well once activated and whose end-to-end encryption Google cannot read. Caveat: closed platform, blocks root, and activation has long been flaky.
Default Android messaging app whose RCS chats work well once activated and whose end-to-end encryption Google cannot read. Caveat: closed platform, blocks root, and activation has long been flaky.
41 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 29
- approval share
- 29%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 0.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
RCS works well once activated
“Google Messages has worked reasonably well for RCS so far (after a long and frustrating period where it didn't on T-Mobile)”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “GrapheneOS Overhauled Default Apps and Secure Clipboard” “it just starts working automatically and transparently”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “GrapheneOS Overhauled Default Apps and Secure Clipboard” “And since then things have been pretty good for me.”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “I just want working RCS messaging” End-to-end encryption Google cannot read
“other apps advertising E2EE such as Google's Messages app don't allow the app maker to read your messages from your backups”
Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “US reportedly investigate claims that Meta can read encrypted WhatsApp messages” “Google cannot read your E2EE messages by default, period. Not from your own backup, not from other peoples' backups.”
Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “US reportedly investigate claims that Meta can read encrypted WhatsApp messages”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Blocks root access, citing RCS spec
“they've added root detection, something mandatory if you follow the RCS payments spec”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “I just want working RCS messaging” “Google Messages blocks root access (probably because the RCS spec says they have to)”
Comment from 21 Jan 2026 in “RCS for Business” “Google Messages blocks root access (probably because the RCS spec says they have to”
Comment from 21 Jan 2026 in “RCS for Business” RCS tied to this app
“On android you can only use RCS in the Google Messages app and trying to build your own is explicitly blocked.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “RCS for Business” “If you're logged into Play you're logged into Google Messages; no choice in the matter.”
Comment from 1 Mar 2026 in “Block the "Upgrade to Tahoe" Alerts” “My understanding was that you have to install google messages to get RCS to work”
Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “Roblox Officially Supports GrapheneOS” RCS activation problems persist for years
“There have been consistent problems with activating RCS, for many years. But it does work for some/many, yes.”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon” “This has been a problem (for others) for years and apparently nobody knows why or how to fix it.”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “I just want working RCS messaging” Missing features and limited text selection
“I like the Google Messages sync SMS online with Google Fi, but it is missing features.”
Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “Gemini 3” “Google Messages doesn't allow any text selection of content below an entire message.”
Comment from 13 Dec 2025 in “Are we stuck with the same Desktop UX forever? [video]”
Other messaging apps people recommend
The four most recommended other messaging apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 48 messaging apps, rankedWhat people said
40 of the 54 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“since the signal strength is low - I'd rather get messages in a timely fashion”
“Why do i have to disable the second SIM to send an SMS to a local number ?”
“Smells like evidence for an anti-competitive case surrounding G protecting Google Messages Android app with developer harassment.”
“Google Messages doesn't use RCS, it uses a custom protocol based on protobuf.”
“it's not at all an open platform even to the extent of SMS/MMS”
“RCS breaks once the Messages app is out of date by a certain amount of revisions”
“They control almost literally all of the servers and the only app nowadays”
“it just starts working automatically and transparently”
“Google Messages has worked reasonably well for RCS so far (after a long and frustrating period where it didn't on T-Mobile)”
“GrapheneOS users needing to use Google Messages to get E2EE with Google Messages and iOS users who haven't been convinced to use Signal instead is not ideal.”
“Google Messages is the standard text messaging app on Google Mobile Services Android”
“has a lot of bugs and the development team doesn't give a shit about them”
“nobody cares about standards, if they are pretty much monopolized by one comapny”
“has been abandoned since the day Google announced Google Messages and its predecessors.”
“My understanding was that you have to install google messages to get RCS to work”
“they have, however, been touting the security improvements that RCS brings ever since work first started on it. which is so misleading that it's outright malicious imo.”
“There have been consistent problems with activating RCS, for many years. But it does work for some/many, yes.”
“Messages works without linking to a Google account”
“Google's implementation is not following the published standard, breaking potential competing implementation in so many subtle ways.”
“If you're logged into Play you're logged into Google Messages; no choice in the matter.”
“Google messages remains separate for person chat”
“Google cannot read your E2EE messages by default, period. Not from your own backup, not from other peoples' backups.”
“other apps advertising E2EE such as Google's Messages app don't allow the app maker to read your messages from your backups”
“using a standardized protocol for E2EE, Google's Messages app has been studied by security researchers”
“Google messages can't connect to any "RCS" servers except Google's.”
“Google Messages blocks root access (probably because the RCS spec says they have to)”
“Google is doing a really good job catching and blocking spam”
“Google Messages blocks root access (probably because the RCS spec says they have to”
“On android you can only use RCS in the Google Messages app and trying to build your own is explicitly blocked.”
“Google Messages doesn't allow any text selection of content below an entire message.”
“Google, which decided that Messages must be like iMessage and made a "multipurpose" button from the "send" button”
“And since then things have been pretty good for me.”
“Google also stopped providing RCS proxy or whatever that was for small mobile providers”
“This has been a problem (for others) for years and apparently nobody knows why or how to fix it.”
“Is Google following that with Google Messages? We have no way to verify!”
“I refuse to use Google's builtin messenger so RCS definitely won't "Just Work" with me”
“they've added root detection, something mandatory if you follow the RCS payments spec”
“Good, but not standard so also not as helpful as it sounds”
“mostly Google's fault for taking as janky of an approach as possible”
“I like the Google Messages sync SMS online with Google Fi, but it is missing features.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.