Until now, we have been sending text messages on our Android phones using the in built Google Messenger app that came with the smartphone. However, Google has recently released an app replacement called 'Android Messages'. It is a new SMS application that can be downloaded on Android smartphones using Play Store.

Some people are proclaiming this move to just be a rebranding- for them, Google has just changed the name of the app. However, some believe its a complete and appreciable change as the 'Android Messages' comes with many new and remarkable features. The new app's technology requires mobile services and carriers to be completely on board the universal texting platform.

The focus of 'Android Messages' is to improve the overall messaging experience for the end user. It also wants to compete with other internet based messaging apps with their features. One of the biggest rivals include Apple's iMessage- a really popular app that communicates between 2 iPhones (or iPads and MacBooks). The SMS app will be a collectively effort of the entire smartphone industry as well as the mobile phone segment. The names of the identified U.S. carriers have not been released by Google yet. Sprint adopted the app last December and only recently, T-Mobile has announced its intentions to do the same.

The features of 'Android Messages' include attributes similar to those present in WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and Viber. What are these features? They include group chats, media sharing, location sharing, and even photo sharing. Apart from just being a SMS app, it will also use Wi-Fi networks to send messages.

Currently SMS apps can only send photos or emojis or GIFs in MMS format- and even this communication takes a really long time. However, Google is working on this by establishing global communication ties. Keep browsing MobileNApps for more news and updates about your favourite smartphones and gadgets. Have some thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below!