Best Messaging App

tcatnat

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Hi all,

I am almost a month in with my Pixel coming from a long stint with iPhone. I am looking for recommendations on a messaging app. Coming from iPhone I just used iMessage and the built in app which I am also doing now with the Pixel. Is there a need to go to a different app such as Hangouts, Allo, Facebook Messenger, etc? 90% of my texting is just simple text with the occasional picture or emoji. I would say my texts are split about 50/50 to and from those on iPhone and Android, maybe a little more from iPhone users. And honestly I don't know what my Android friends use but know my iPhone friends stick with the iOS messaging app.

Am I missing something by using Google's messaging app. Would you recommend something else?

Thanks.
 

18t

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Aug 23, 2013
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Everyone has their own opinion on messaging apps. Mine is that there is no replacement for iMessage. I like simple and consistent with slight modification abilities and for that the Google Messenger app fulfills my needs. Hope Allo gets better some day and I'll give that another chance.
 

Morty2264

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Hi there, and welcome to Android! As other users have said, I too would recommend Textra, or even Chomp SMS. Those are good messaging apps to use, and Textra always has good developer support and feedback if you encounter an issue of if you have any questions. Good luck!
 

therealasd

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Yet another here for Textra. Pretty much all of my messaging is either Textra or Facebook Messenger.

Facebook Messenger is alright with SMS, but I find the options and interface of Textra appealling enough to use it as a separate SMS app.
 

icu

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I'm actually a fan of WhatsApp. If you can't get your friends/family to agree on a 3rd party messaging platform and have to stick with SMS/MMS then yes Textra is pretty nice. However, the experience is much better imo with something like WhatsApp which allows you to do more without being limited in photo quality, can do voice calls (video soon), and you can use it on the desktop via a web browser.

Other options like Facebook or even Allo (Telegram?) can probably be nearly as good.
 

Morty2264

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I'm actually a fan of WhatsApp. If you can't get your friends/family to agree on a 3rd party messaging platform and have to stick with SMS/MMS then yes Textra is pretty nice. However, the experience is much better imo with something like WhatsApp which allows you to do more without being limited in photo quality, can do voice calls (video soon), and you can use it on the desktop via a web browser.

Other options like Facebook or even Allo (Telegram?) can probably be nearly as good.

I did like WhatsApp, but not a lot of my friends used it, so I was pretty limited in terms of app usage. But it was a good experience! I would recommend this as well!
 

Scott Shrewsberry

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Believe it or not, I've been using Allo every chance I get and I love it. I use it with my wife everyday and if I could only get the rest of my contacts on it I do believe that it would be my go-to. It's very quick and responsive and with assistant built in it's a win/win for me. Now, if only the SMS integration would arrive!
 

quangtran1

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ChompSMS, EvolveSMS, Textra are extremely customizable. They're useful to me in that I can send delayed or scheduled messages. That 5, 10, or 30 seconds can save embarrassment sometimes.
If you're on Verizon, there's always Verizon Messages+ which lets you send/receive messages on PCs and tablets like iMessage.
 

drufranco

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I like Allo as well but with the lack of full SMS integration yet I use the default Google Messenger.
I tried FB messenger for awhile but converted back to Google Messenger.
 

Scott Shrewsberry

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I like Allo as well but with the lack of full SMS integration yet I use the default Google Messenger.
I tried FB messenger for awhile but converted back to Google Messenger.

Yeah, I use Google Messenger for all other SMS messages. I tried using Facebook Messenger for a bit, but it just seemed too chaotic and messy. I used to use Hangouts exclusively, but once Google said that we should use Messenger I moved off of it.
 

anon(826501)

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I got some of the In app purchase SMS apps. Lately I'm using Yaata SMS app, don't remember exactly but for about $5.00 In app purchase you got a very customize SMS app.
5fca426fcc538fc4fe34366cc0cd926b.jpg
Another good one is Evolve SMS check out the screenshot.
e0d802903e65c2bf9e11695464bad925.jpg
 
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CHILLYWILL_95831

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I really like Allo as well and I'm getting some folks to convert. I like that I can see whether someone is actually typing out a message. I love the stickers and the ability to search for emojis and stickers based on the context. There's so much I like about Allo. And, I love the fast picture and video sharing. It just makes texting fun again. And, the greatest thing about it is the assistant. It's pretty cool to be able to share search queries with your contacts.

I'm wondering though if Google has any intent in ever adding SMS support so that it will become a default messaging app. Can anyone answer that question?
 

vlok16

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I have been using Textra ever since I discovered it... I even paid to add whatever the features were at the time, just to support the developer because they made such a great app as far as I was concerned... I truly love being able to customize the notifications for my most frequent contacts...
 

CHILLYWILL_95831

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I have been using Textra ever since I discovered it... I even paid to add whatever the features were at the time, just to support the developer because they made such a great app as far as I was concerned... I truly love being able to customize the notifications for my most frequent contacts...

The greatest customization Textra has is it's ability to change the color of the notification light/contact. That's a neat feature. But, I'm on T-Mobile and I found Textra to be wonky with Wi-Fi and MMS. Also, I had hoped they would have added the ability to send a location. It still doesn't give you that real time interaction like Allo. But, it would be my third choice behind Allo and the stock messenger, both of which allow you to send a location.
 

wordfool

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I am almost a month in with my Pixel coming from a long stint with iPhone. I am looking for recommendations on a messaging app. Coming from iPhone I just used iMessage and the built in app which I am also doing now with the Pixel. Is there a need to go to a different app such as Hangouts, Allo, Facebook Messenger, etc? 90% of my texting is just simple text with the occasional picture or emoji. I would say my texts are split about 50/50 to and from those on iPhone and Android, maybe a little more from iPhone users. And honestly I don't know what my Android friends use but know my iPhone friends stick with the iOS messaging app.

Am I missing something by using Google's messaging app. Would you recommend something else?

I tried a bunch but now just use the stock messenger app. Textra is very customizeable, but ultimately offered me nothing I really needed over stock, Google's allo doesn't seem to have any particularly unique selling point and Google's track record of sticking with new apps is appalling (let's see how long Hangouts lasts now), and Hangouts I just never got along with, probably because I don't know many other people who use it so its strengths are wasted on me. Android is sorely lacking an equivalent to iMessage that's able to sync and operate seamlessly between phone and computer. Hangouts tried, but is ultimately too clumsy to do it well and Google will probably let it wither now Allo and Duo are out.
 

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