Samsung’s longtime default texting app, Samsung Messages, is being discontinued in the United States as of today, ending a service that has shipped on Galaxy devices since 2009 and pushing millions of remaining users to complete their transition to Google Messages.

According to Samsung’s official End of Service notice posted on its U.S. support website, the company said it would discontinue the Samsung Messages application in July 2026 and encouraged customers to “upgrade to Google Messages as their default messaging app today to maintain a consistent messaging experience on Android.” While that notice referred broadly to a July timeframe, device notifications sent directly to some users identified a specific date. A screenshot obtained by a Chicago television station showed one such alert stating that Samsung Messages was being discontinued on July 6, 2026, a date multiple outlets have since confirmed as the formal shutdown.

The change applies only to the U.S. market and affects devices running Android 12 or later. Samsung has said users on Android 11 or older operating systems are not affected by the discontinuation and will continue to be able to use Samsung Messages as they have in the past. For everyone else, the shutdown marks a hard stop for the app’s core function. Once the cutoff takes effect, Samsung said, “sending messages via Samsung Messages on your phone will no longer be possible, except for emergency service numbers or emergency contacts defined in your device.” Basic MMS and SMS messaging will remain available in the lead-up to the cutoff, but general texting through the app effectively ends today for eligible devices.

The discontinuation also extends beyond the phone itself. Samsung’s Message Continuity feature, marketed as “Call & Text on Other Devices” and used by some customers to send texts from a paired tablet or computer, will be disrupted once the app is formally discontinued. Owners of Galaxy Watches released before the Galaxy Watch 4, which run on Samsung’s older Tizen operating system, face an additional limitation, since those devices cannot run Google Messages and will lose access to full conversation history syncing on the watch, even though basic message reading and sending will continue to function.

Samsung has framed the shutdown as part of a broader push toward standardizing Rich Communication Services, or RCS, across the Android ecosystem. RCS is widely viewed as Android’s answer to Apple’s iMessage, enabling higher-quality photo and video sharing, real-time typing indicators, read receipts and improved group messaging when all participants have the feature enabled. Samsung’s notice states that Android users need Google Messages installed for RCS to function as intended, and that iPhone users must be running iOS 18 or later to participate in those enhanced features across platforms.

Beyond messaging protocols, Samsung has also pointed to security and artificial intelligence capabilities as reasons for the switch. Google Messages includes AI-powered scam detection and spam filtering designed to identify and block suspicious texts, along with Gemini-powered features such as suggested replies and, in some cases, experimental image-generation tools within chats. The app also supports end-to-end encryption in supported conversations and allows users to move seamlessly between a phone, tablet or smart watch without losing continuity, according to Samsung’s messaging on the transition.

Today’s cutoff is the latest step in a gradual retreat from Samsung’s own messaging platform that industry observers say has been underway for years. Samsung stopped making Samsung Messages the default texting app on its devices in 2021 in favor of Google Messages, and in 2024 it stopped pre-installing the app on select flagship devices, including the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 in the United States. Owners of the newer Galaxy S26 series already cannot download Samsung Messages from the Galaxy Store, a restriction that will extend to all other devices once today’s discontinuation takes effect. After the cutoff, the app will no longer be available for download by any user in the affected market.

For customers who still rely on Samsung Messages, the recommended transition process is straightforward. Users can open Google Messages, download it from the Play Store if it is not already installed, and select the option to set it as their default SMS app. Samsung has said that message history and conversations should transfer automatically between the two apps, though the company has noted the process can take up to roughly 24 hours to complete depending on the volume of data involved. On some devices released before 2022, Samsung has also warned that switching apps may cause a temporary disruption to ongoing RCS conversations, though normal service is expected to resume once all parties involved have moved to Google Messages.

Not every feature is expected to carry over cleanly. Samsung Messages had offered chat folders and automatic deletion of older message threads, organizational tools that Google Messages does not currently replicate. Google has said it plans to introduce a visual customization feature called Chat Themes, which would allow users to assign custom color palettes and wallpapers to individual conversations, though that feature has not yet been fully deployed across the platform.

The transition has not been without confusion. Some users have reported receiving unsolicited text messages warning that Samsung Messages was about to be discontinued and urging them to click a link to switch apps, a pattern cybersecurity commentators have flagged as ripe for exploitation by scammers. One Android user in Running Springs, California, described receiving a text that read, in part, that Samsung Messages was ending on July 6, 2026 and that he needed to change to Google Messages. Samsung does not typically send standalone text messages containing links asking customers to switch apps, and security experts have urged users to avoid tapping on unsolicited links and instead make the switch directly through their device’s settings or the Google Play Store.

For most affected Galaxy owners, the practical impact of today’s shutdown will be limited so long as they have already completed the move to Google Messages. For those who have not, Samsung’s guidance is direct: open Settings, navigate to installed apps, and change the default messaging application before texting functionality becomes limited to emergency contacts only.

A father says his family of five is able to eat at Chick-fil-A for under $45 using a DIY sandwich “hack,” though menu prices vary by location amid concerns across the country about affordability due to rising costs.

Jeff Johnson, a worship pastor at an Atlanta church and a podcast host, told his social media followers that it is cheaper to purchase nuggets and buns than to purchase chicken sandwiches for himself, his wife and his three children.

“I have a hack for every dad who’s always saying, ‘Why are we spending so much money at Chick-fil-A,’” Johnson said in a June 26 Instagram video.

“Instead of everybody ordering their fried chicken sandwich and their meal, here’s what we just did and what we have been doing, and y’all need to know about this.”

CHICK-FIL-A EXPANDS ITS ‘GHOST KITCHEN’ MODEL WITH NEW DELIVERY-ONLY STORE IN FLORIDA

A father revealed how his family of five is able to eat at Chick-fil-A for under $45. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Johnson explained that he ordered 30 nuggets, which were just over $17, and buttered buns for everyone, which were 25 cents each.

The camera then pans over to a family member’s sandwich, which shows a bun with several nuggets inside.

Even with added sides and drinks, Johnson’s hack helps reduce the cost for families attempting to budget their meals.

“Everyone’s happy, dad’s happy. We have saved so much money. I’m just telling you, you can eat for under $45 at Chick-fil-A as a family of five if you do what I’m saying,” Johnson said.

Jeff Johnson explained that he ordered 30 nuggets for around $17 and buttered buns for 25 cents each. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Prices vary by restaurant, but individual Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches often cost about $5 to $6 before sides, drinks and tax.

The commenters on his video were shocked by his hack and appreciative of the advice.

“Chick-fil-A is expensive. Good advice dude. Appreciate it,” one person wrote.

“Did not need to know about the 30 nuggets for $17 as a single person,” another jokingly added.

CHICK-FIL-A LAUNCHES FIRST EVER NON-CHICKEN KIDS MEAL NATIONWIDE

A classic chicken sandwich typically costs around $5 or $6. (iStock / iStock)

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“Let me know when you get a cease and desist letter from @chickfila,” a third user joked.

“Get some pickles on the side. Gotta have that pickles,” another user said, referring to the pickles that typically come on a classic chicken sandwich.

It was an eventful second quarter for stock-fund investors, including the SpaceX initial public offering, an oil shock, an Iran peace rally at one point, and the first Fed-policy meeting under the central bank’s new chairman.

But through it all, it was investors’ faith in tech stocks—those tied to artificial intelligence, in particular—that kept the market humming. In the end, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite posted their best quarters since 2020, hitting record highs, and the Dow closed the month at a record as well.

Popular Chinese tea chain Molly Tea has been ordered to pay 10.3m yuan (£1.1m; $1.5m) in damages after a court ruled that its logo infringed a Louis Vuitton trademark, fuelling an online debate over copyright protection.

Chinese media reported last week that a court in the eastern Jiangsu province ruled that the Shenzhen-based tea company had copied Louis Vuitton’s iconic four-petal flower monogram trademark.

The decision has divided the public online in China, with a hashtag linked to the case drawing more than 400 million views and tens of thousands of comments.

The BBC has contacted Molly Tea and Louis Vuitton for comment.

On Thursday, a court in Suzhou, just east of Shanghai, ordered Molly Tea to stop using of the logo, issue a public apology and to pay damages to Louis Vuitton, according to Chinese state media China Daily.

The outlet also said that Molly Tea and its affiliated firms had applied for multiple trademarks that were rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

Only the trademark containing the Chinese characters for “Molly Tea” was successfully registered, China Daily reported.

Many Chinese social media users have defended the design of Molly Tea’s logo, noting how many designs used in Western luxury brands have been inspired by Chinese artefacts.

One commenter on the Weibo platform wrote in Mandarin that he will “drink a cup of Molly Tea daily” to show his support for the company.

“Give me a break. They’re just taking advantage of the fact that our ancestors didn’t file for patents,” the commenter wrote.

One user on RedNote, another Chinese social media platform, said: “Such basic geometric shapes have been used everywhere throughout history, not just China.”

But some online supported the court’s verdict.

A Weibo user said that those who back Molly Tea’s design should “study law first”, arguing that there is no dispute as Louis Vuitton had already registered the trademark.

Another said Louis Vuitton is justified in defending its intellectual property and that other brands do not have the right to imitate it, regardless of their industry.