Samsung Messages isn’t dying, it’s getting smarter (APK teardown)

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

TL;DR

Samsung Messages is getting ready to add a bunch of new features in One UI 8.
Samsung had previously announced that it’s sunsetting app, but code evidence indicated it’s only getting more powerful.
The app could soon gain live location sharing, birthday reminders, reactions, and more.

Samsung is funny. When the Galaxy S25 series launched, the company repeatedly told users it was sunsetting Samsung Messages. The app was removed from the Google Play Store, with Samsung making it clear that it wanted people to use Google Messages instead. However, instead of fully killing off its messaging app, Samsung has not only kept it alive on the Galaxy Store and allowed existing users to continue using it, but it is also continuously adding new features to make the experience more robust.

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An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.

A new version of the Samsung Messages app found in the leaked One UI 8 firmware includes code suggesting the app may soon adopt useful features from Google Messages.

One such feature is Birthday Reminders, which would notify users of a saved contact’s birthday and prompt them to send wishes. This feature has been available in Google Messages for some time now.

Code

<string name="birthday_conversation_description">It's %s's birthday today!
Let them know that you're thinking of them.</string>
<string name="birthday_description_double">It's %1$s and %2$s's birthday! Send something special?</string>
<string name="birthday_description_single">It's %s's birthday today! Send something special?</string>

Another feature Samsung is preparing for its messaging app is live location sharing. We recently found evidence that Google Messages is also preparing a similar feature to allow users to share their live location with contacts. Seems like Samsung is just plucking the feature from its partner and adding it to Samsung Messages. The difference here is that the live location feature on Samsung Messages seems to be linked to the Samsung Find app and will need a Samsung account to function.

Code

<string name="chatting_plus_tips_title_10">Share your location in a snap</string>
<string name="chatting_plus_tips_message_10">Easily share your location with loved ones without
copying the address.</string> <string name="install_find_body_receiver">To view %s's location, you need to install the Samsung
Find app.</string>  
<string name="install_find_body_sender">To share your location, you need to install the
Samsung Find app.</string>
<string name="install_find_title">Install %s?</string>
<string name="sign_in_samsung_account_body_receiver">To view %s's location, you need to sign in to
your Samsung account.</string>
<string name="share_location_inbox_accept">%s’s location is visible.</string>
<string name="share_location_inbox_declined">You declined to view %s’s location.</string>
<string name="share_location_inbox_stop">%s stopped sharing their location with you.</string>
<string name="share_location_inbox_text_in_card">%s shared their location with you.</string>
<string name="share_location_infinity_time">Indefinitely</string> 
<string name="share_location_outbox_accept">%s can now see your location.</string>
<string name="share_location_outbox_declined">%s declined to view your location.</string>  
<string name="share_location_outbox_stop">You stopped sharing your location with %s.</string>

Code strings also indicate that users will be able to decline a live location sharing invitation, revoke live location sharing permissions whenever they want, share their live location indefinitely, and get alerts when others decline to view their live location.

Moreover, Samsung Messages also seems to be adding support for emoji and sticker reactions, another feature borrowed straight from Google Messages. Sticker reactions are similar to the Photomoji feature in Google Messages, which allows you to react to messages with custom stickers.

Code

<string name="chatting_plus_tips_message_9">Get suggestions for emojis to add to text 
bubbles to make your messages more expressive.</string>
<string name="screen_reaction_panel_emoji">3002</string>
<string name="screen_reaction_panel_recent">3003</string>
<string name="screen_reaction_panel_sticker">3004</string>
<string name="screen_reaction_toolbar">3001</string>

It also looks like Now Brief in One UI 8 will alert users about suspicious, malicious, and blocked messages.

Code

<string name="screen_Now_Brief_Received_malicious_messages">4513</string>
<string name="screen_Now_Brief_Received_suspicious_messages">4512</string
<string name="screen_Now_Brief_Show_blocked_messages">4514</string>

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