I wanted to love this Google Messages alternative, but one missing feature pulled me right back
Android Police 2026-06-29 10:00:10
Context: The author, Anu Joy, an Android-focused journalist, explored an alternative to Google Messages by switching to Textra SMS for a month. Initially, Textra's customization options and simplicity appealed to Joy, but ultimately, the lack of a crucial feature led to a return to Google Messages. This experience highlights the importance of Rich Communication Services (RCS) in modern messaging.
Key Facts
- The author, Anu Joy, switched from Google Messages to Textra SMS for a month, initially drawn to Textra's extensive customization options, including theme colors, conversation bubbles, font sizes, and notification styles.
- Textra SMS offers per-contact customization, allowing users to set unique colors, notification sounds, or vibration patterns for individual conversations, a feature not available in Google Messages.
- The absence of RCS (Rich Communication Services) support in Textra SMS was the primary reason Joy returned to Google Messages, as RCS features like typing indicators, read receipts, and high-quality media sharing had become integral to daily conversations.
- Google Messages offers a seamless cross-device experience, allowing users to continue conversations on the web, reply from a computer, and have everything stay in sync, a feature Textra SMS lacks.
- Despite Textra SMS being more customizable and offering more control over the interface, Joy preferred Google Messages due to its RCS support and cross-device capabilities, which better fit his messaging needs.