Key Takeaways
- The Android working system affords native assist for third-party texting apps.
- Google Messages is likely to be ubiquitous with texting on Android, however loads of third-party builders have constructed their very own options.
- Listed below are a number of the hottest and best-executed texting apps at present accessible on the platform.
One of many nice perks of Google’s Android operating system is its relative openness — if you wish to change out your default Quick Message Service (SMS) texting app for one more choice, for instance, it is a pretty easy and easy course of to take action.
As of late, various instant messaging services like WhatsApp, Fb Messenger, Telegram and others have by and enormous outmoded conventional SMS texting. Google, for its half, has built an excellent texting service of its personal, leveraging assist for the newer Rich Communication Services (RCS) texting protocol within the course of.
It is a terrific disgrace that Google would not present its RCS platform in API type for different builders to make the most of in their very own texting apps. Nonetheless, I firmly imagine there’s still room in the market for third-party messengers, even when they’re hamstrung by the antiquated SMS commonplace. Listed below are 6 Android apps particularly that supply a superb end-user texting expertise.
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An iconic staple of the Android texting scene
Textra SMS
A widely known third-party Android texting app with tons of customization choices on supply.
Texta has lengthy been heralded as top-of-the-line third-party Android texting apps, and for good purpose. It offered a wealth of customization choices, starting from textual content bubble types, theme and accent colours, emoji types, and extra.
Textra additionally features a function that I merely cannot get sufficient of: a ship delay timer.
The app can be well-designed: it totally embraces Google’s Materials Design language, albeit not the most recent third-generation version with Material You theming. To be honest, I’ve all the time loved the visuals of Lolipop-era Material Design, and since o this additional fuels me with nostalgia in one of the best ways attainable.
Textra additionally features a function that I merely cannot get sufficient of: a ship delay timer. Toggling this setting on will unlock a short grace interval, which supplies the chance to cancel a message you’ve got unintentionally (or regrettably) hit ‘despatched’ on.
Textra SMS is free to obtain, and can often floor ads by default. An in-app buy is out there that unlocks a totally ad-free expertise.
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2 Pulse SMS
A dependable and safe texting app with tons of customization potential
Pulse SMS
A well-designed third-party Android texting app with customization choices and cross-device syncing.
Pulse SMS is one other standard third-party Android texting app, which incorporates most of the similar customization perks present in Textra SMS. Per-conversation theming and colorization choices, a delayed sending perform, and extra are all current and accounted for right here.
Pulse additionally brings with it the flexibility to sync your SMS messages throughout your different sensible gadgets, doing so in an encrypted type through the corporate’s personal account creation instrument. End-to-end encryption is sadly absent from the fundamental SMS texting commonplace, so it is nice to see the builders’ fingers on the heart beat relating to digital privateness.
Finish-to-end encryption is sadly absent from the fundamental SMS texting commonplace, so it is nice to see the builders’ fingers on the heart beat relating to digital privateness.
Pulse SMS is a free obtain from the Google Play Retailer, however comes with advertisements by default. These advertisements will be disabled through an elective Pulse SMS+ improve, which supplies extra perks comparable to texting from a number of gadgets. Pulse SMS+ will be had for a one-time price, with month-to-month and yearly subscription choices additionally accessible instead.
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3 Chomp SMS
Chomp SMS
An alternate texting app for Android, made by the identical builders as Texta SMS.
Chomp SMS is an alternate texting app constructed by the identical crew accountable for Textra SMS. A lot of the identical DNA will be discovered right here, starting from in-app customization choices, a ship delay perform, and traditional Materials Design theming.
Chomp additionally supplies a password lock choice, the choice to pin chats to the highest of the interface, a ‘schedule ship’ instrument, and extra. The app supplies a clear and streamlined person interface, freed from pointless litter.
In case you’ve ever tried out Textra previously, then Chomp SMS will really feel proper at dwelling for you. The app is free to obtain from the Google Play Retailer, with an elective single-purchase tier that removes the occasional displaying of ads.
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4 Easy SMS Messenger
Maybe essentially the most streamlined and engaging Android texting app of all of them
Easy SMS Messenger
A light-weight and Materials You-inspired SMS texting app for Android.
Talking of streamlined interfaces, Easy SMS Messenger may simply be the quintessential instance of a lean-and-lightweight texting app accessible on Android. It boasts a compact app obtain dimension of solely 29MB, and it supplies a person interface that is elegant in its simplicity.
Easy SMS Messenger adopts a contemporary rendition of Google’s Materials Design language.
In contrast to most of the different third-party SMS apps on this record, Easy SMS Messenger adopts a extra trendy rendition of Google’s Materials Design language. The interface is chock-full of rounded corners, nice animations, and a dark mode that kicks in mechanically. The draw back right here is that it would not supply as many customization choices as a few of its aforementioned rivals.
Easy SMS Messenger is free to obtain on the Google Play Retailer, however comes with advertisements out of the field. An elective Professional model is out there that removes advertisements and unlocks extra customization choices, accessible through a yearly subscription price.
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5 Microsoft SMS Organizer
Sure, Microsoft affords its personal Android SMS app
Microsoft / Pocket-lint
Microsoft SMS Organizer
A Microsoft-built SMS texting app for Android, with a give attention to segmenting texts based mostly on class.
It would come as a shock to many, however Microsoft has printed its personal SMS texting app onto the Google Play Retailer. It is known as SMS Organizer, and it is fairly good — the app makes an attempt to mechanically manage your textual content message threads into sorted classes. These embody private, promotions, transactions, and extra.
The opposite large promoting factors listed below are the flexibility to translate incoming SMS messages from English into quite a lot of different languages, in addition to an computerized reminders function that’ll faucet into upcoming appointments, transit dates, and extra.
The one caveat right here is that the app is not accessible in all areas but — at present, assist is proscribed to america, the UK, and Australia.
SMS Organizer is a Microsoft Garage Project — a platform for experimental software program releases from the tech big that will in any other case be out of bounds. The app works totally offline, and it is totally free to obtain and set up.
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6 Beeper: Common Chat
The identical Beeper that (briefly) introduced us iMessage on Android
Beeper: Common Chat
A unified texting inbox app that pulls in your messages from different platforms like WhatsApp, Sign, Telegram, Slack, and others.
Beeper made headlines earlier this 12 months when it briefly engaged in a cold war with Apple. The corporate tried to bridge the inexperienced bubble / blue bubble divide, efficiently bringing iMessage over to the Android platform for a brief time frame.
Beeper may have lost the iMessage battle to Apple, however the firm’s app remains to be a superb alternative general. Along with pulling in each your SMS and RCS threads into its service, Beeper additionally serves as a unified inbox that ropes in assist for WhatsApp, Telegram, Sign, Fb Messenger, Twitter DM, Slack, Discord, LinkedIn, Google Chat, IRC and Matrix chat.
Beeper could have misplaced the iMessage battle to Apple, however the firm’s app remains to be a superb alternative general.
Beeper is a powerful instrument that streamlines texting, and it is significantly compelling if you happen to’re like me and consistently juggle throughout a number of immediate messaging companies to maintain up with pals, household, and work colleagues.
Beeper is free to obtain and set up from the Google Play Retailer. The builders plan on introducing a paid subscription tier sooner or later, with entry to a number of accounts per community, amongst different advantages.
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