Skinned Google Messages

[KupKrazy]

The s22 has Google/Samsung collaboration which is Samsung dynamic, not available in play store to download.
Google message app is available to download on any device through play store

Even though it's stock on S22, the OneUI version is also distributed by Google Play store it seems based on the phone you have.

 

[Will_T]

No, not s22 both apps come stock

Ah ha. They should have named them slightly different!

 

[KupKrazy]

I have been trying out Google Messages and have the Beta version. This is how it is working so far for me. I have the ability to enable Chat/RCS in settings. However, those features do not work for me yet across the divide with iPhone users. I have read that they should work if I message other Android Google Messages Beta users, but I don't yet have any message with other Beta users yet that I am aware of. So even though Chat features are enabled, I have not seen anything of them yet in any of my messages.

I just wanted to say that if you have ATT, then the only people you will see right now using RCS are other people on ATT using the S22 series. There is a big hullabaloo on the ATT forums about how ATT has not made their RCS backbone interoperable with other carrier networks yet. If you look at the Chat features, you'll see it says Chat features from Google provided by AT&T. That is the death knell right now and until ATT gets their act together, they'll continue to stunt RCS growth.

All other Samsung phones use the regular Google Messages that are powered by Google/Jibe and do not have this interoperability problem.

 

[LuckiestLiz]

I just wanted to say that if you have ATT, then the only people you will see right now using RCS are other people on ATT using the S22 series. There is a big hullabaloo on the ATT forums about how ATT has not made their RCS backbone interoperable with other carrier networks yet. If you look at the Chat features, you'll see it says Chat features from Google provided by AT&T. That is the death knell right now and until ATT gets their act together, they'll continue to stunt RCS growth.

All other Samsung phones use the regular Google Messages that are powered by Google/Jibe and do not have this interoperability problem.

If you have AT&T and also an AT&T version of the phone. My unlocked S22U with an AT&T sim is on Jibe. My mom's branded phone is not. Huge pain. I didn't push her on being leery of going unlocked, because I didn't see that coming. I figured whatever, we'll have RCS using Google messages... Silly me (really, stupid AT&T!).

 

[EazyD33]

About the confusion of which version you have. I always thought that when you downloaded any app from the play store you were getting the version that was optimized for your phone. Therefore wouldn't you always just get the Sammy skinned messages app on the s22?

 

[mustang7757]

About the confusion of which version you have. I always thought that when you downloaded any app from the play store you were getting the version that was optimized for your phone. Therefore wouldn't you always just get the Sammy skinned messages app on the s22?

Google message app that available in play store will be the same on any device as you see my screenshot from fold3 and pixel 6pro
The Google message app with Samsung skin which is colab version is not available for any device but Samsung and why u see Samsung dynamic there

 

[mustang7757]

Google should of just updated the stock Samsung message app

 

[subguy812]

My Pixel 6pro doesn't have iPhone reactions, the Google/Samsung collaboration message app same a regular google except it has One UI design

It is not the same. I have all of the features I mentioned above on the Beta P6P version. I am still a beta tester on Messages. All of that said, I have none of those features on Samsung.

 

[subguy812]

I have been trying out Google Messages and have the Beta version. This is how it is working so far for me. I have the ability to enable Chat/RCS in settings. However, those features do not work for me yet across the divide with iPhone users. I have read that they should work if I message other Android Google Messages Beta users, but I don't yet have any message with other Beta users yet that I am aware of. So even though Chat features are enabled, I have not seen anything of them yet in any of my messages.

There are no additional skinning, theme or color customization options available in settings on my Beta version, other than the Light or Dark Themes. I really do wish Google Messages had more visual customizations. I am OK with the green and gray bubbles in messages but it would be nice to be able to change those. What I really don't like about the visual interface is the Home Screen. On either the light or dark theme, there is really no differentiation between the message threads in the list. It is just a flat panel visually.

Also, I don't like the way that the Home Screen keeps dropping down so that the top 1/2 of the page is a big wasted space with a "Messages" header and then the number of unread messages. You can drag the messages up so you are using the entire real estate of the home screen, but it wants to keep jumping back to the top, with that 1/2 page of empty space. To be fair, I think the Samsung Messages app home page does the same thing.

I also wish there was a supported stand alone Windows app. For example, like the one MySMS uses. You can have a tab open in a browser with your messages, but that is all.

The big gap at the top of the page was the Material updates moons ago, it is annoying and hasn't been part of Google messages for a long time.

 

[mustang7757]

It is not the same. I have all of the features I mentioned above on the Beta P6P version. I am still a beta tester on Messages. All of that said, I have none of those features on Samsung.

Im not in beta for Google message app on 6pro or Fold 3

 

[subguy812]

Does the beta version on your S22+ have that stupid "Messages" wasted space header? I'll surely join the beta if I can get rid of that!

Yes, the Beta is like non-existent in the Samsung version

 

[Will_T]

I just wanted to say that if you have ATT, then the only people you will see right now using RCS are other people on ATT using the S22 series. There is a big hullabaloo on the ATT forums about how ATT has not made their RCS backbone interoperable with other carrier networks yet. If you look at the Chat features, you'll see it says Chat features from Google provided by AT&T. That is the death knell right now and until ATT gets their act together, they'll continue to stunt RCS growth.
All other Samsung phones use the regular Google Messages that are powered by Google/Jibe and do not have this interoperability problem.

This sort of thing happens all over. Companies need to make a profit so they try to wall off their own products thinking this will be more profitable and as usual it is the end user that pays. I mentioned this messaging thing to someone today and he said, "I guess that is why my 8 year old granddaughter wants me to use WhatsApp. I have an Android phone and she has an iPhone". Not exactly the same thing, but even the kids understand the problem. But one of the things that happens is that you get products like WhatsApp that sort of work well for communication but both ends of the conversation have to be using it. If that is what ATT is shooting for, thinking it will bring more customers to them, it certainly won't work. For basic messaging, all carriers and phones need to interact seamlessly.

 

[Will_T]

Yes, the Beta is like non-existent in the Samsung version

Yea this is what I finally understand. Even though I thought of myself as having Google Messages and am a Beta user, the reality is that I have the Samsung version. It does have the big empty space at the top. It does have a setting to turn on Chat/RCS features. But I have not seen any RCS features in any of my messages yet. So yeah, even though it sort of is Google Messages and the Beta version at that, like subguy said, it is basically all non-existent so far in real use.

 

[KupKrazy]

If you have AT&T and also an AT&T version of the phone. My unlocked S22U with an AT&T sim is on Jibe. My mom's branded phone is not. Huge pain. I didn't push her on being leery of going unlocked, because I didn't see that coming. I figured whatever, we'll have RCS using Google messages... Silly me (really, stupid AT&T!).

Right, I meant to mean ATT branded phone. Really dumb and infuriating. I went backwards and my friends and family that were on RCS for me are not longer and they have ATT phones, but ZF3/S21/N20 models and they can RCS with each other. I certainly didn't see this coming because you'd think that they just couldn't really be that dumb, right??

 

[KupKrazy]

This sort of thing happens all over. Companies need to make a profit so they try to wall off their own products thinking this will be more profitable and as usual it is the end user that pays. I mentioned this messaging thing to someone today and he said, "I guess that is why my 8 year old granddaughter wants me to use WhatsApp. I have an Android phone and she has an iPhone". Not exactly the same thing, but even the kids understand the problem. But one of the things that happens is that you get products like WhatsApp that sort of work well for communication but both ends of the conversation have to be using it. If that is what ATT is shooting for, thinking it will bring more customers to them, it certainly won't work. For basic messaging, all carriers and phones need to interact seamlessly.

That's just it, it's only ATT's branded S22 series phones that they did this to - not any of the previous models - so it's super annoying that you can't even use RCS on my S22 with someone who has an ATT S21. They gimped their own customer base. The whole point of RCS which has been worked on for years... eh, I can't get into it. It'll just infuriate me more.

 

[Cody Ratliff]

Standard Beta google messages should say "open beta" in the name. That's what my N20U said before I upgraded to S22U.

 

[KPMcClave]

The s22 has Google/Samsung collaboration which is Samsung dynamic, not available in play store to download.
Google message app is available to download on any device through play store

They're the same entry in Play, though. If you have a new S22 you'll get the Samsung version updates, if you're on another phone you'll get the generic one, and if you were on the (generic) beta with your prior phone, you won't get the beta on your new S22. But there aren't separate entries in the Play store for Google Messages.

I, too, show that I'm a beta tester in the Play entry for Messages, but have the Samsung version last updated on 2/22 listed in the app details.

Thing is, despite having that version indicated in the app's details, I've taken sveral Messages updates since I got the phone (and since 2/22), including earlier today. It says the app was last uodated on 3/7 in Play. The updates don't apparently fail, so what's going on there?

 

[KPMcClave]

Google message app that available in play store will be the same on any device as you see my screenshot from fold3 and pixel 6pro
The Google message app with Samsung skin which is colab version is not available for any device but Samsung and why u see Samsung dynamic there

Again, to be clear, if you have the Samsung S22 you will get updates to the Google Messages app in the same place (same entry in the Play store) as if you had another phone. I know this because my Google Messages in Play still indicates I'm a beta user, even though I have the Sasmung skinned version of the app on my S22 Ultra, and it's indicated as such on Play.

 

[KPMcClave]

It is not the same. I have all of the features I mentioned above on the Beta P6P version. I am still a beta tester on Messages. All of that said, I have none of those features on Samsung.

The two versions are different, but they're served from the same Play store entry. I am also a beta user and it still indicates that, but it also indicates the version I have is the Sasmung 2/22 release.

Although, I have taken updates sicne I got the S22 Ultra. So, I'm not sure what that's all about.

 

[KPMcClave]

This sort of thing happens all over. Companies need to make a profit so they try to wall off their own products thinking this will be more profitable and as usual it is the end user that pays. I mentioned this messaging thing to someone today and he said, "I guess that is why my 8 year old granddaughter wants me to use WhatsApp. I have an Android phone and she has an iPhone". Not exactly the same thing, but even the kids understand the problem. But one of the things that happens is that you get products like WhatsApp that sort of work well for communication but both ends of the conversation have to be using it. If that is what ATT is shooting for, thinking it will bring more customers to them, it certainly won't work. For basic messaging, all carriers and phones need to interact seamlessly.

Co-signed.