Are you tired of your stock Android SMS app? Why not replace it with another that’s built with more function and design? Here’s a Fast Five roundup of some of the top Android text messaging apps you can use.
Textra, perhaps, is one of the best SMS apps around. Owing its UI to Google’s own Material design, it offers a lot of functionality under its hood. It’s smooth and fluid, and is customizable up to the individual contact thread colors. It even has an option for choosing a dark background, in case you are not fond of light colors.
Like Textra, Evolve SMS is also a text messaging application with Google’s Material Design in tow. It sports three different layouts to choose from, aside from three choices of backgrounds. It supports more than 850+ emoji emoticons, and is fully compatible with Android Wear devices.
Go SMS Pro has something that most of other messaging apps don’t: Dual-SIM messaging. This is probably one of the only few apps to support handsets with dual-SIM capability, and has a popup message function for the times a new message needs immediate responses. To add to that, users can select from a plethora of themes, free and paid, available for download.
Hello is a unique messaging app. What sets itself apart from other messaging apps is that its conversations are tabbed. To switch to another conversation thread, all you have to do is to click on the contact’s icon. Pretty useful if you’re having a lot of conversations at the same time.
Rounding up our list is Hoverchat, an app formerly known as Ninja SMS. If you like Facebook Messenger’s chat heads feature, this is probably the SMS counterpart. The app specializes on creating floating conversation windows, and how they appear and look in your screen.
Special Mention: Google Messenger
While it did not enter our Fast Five, we have to give Google the credit for creating a really fluid messaging app. After tons of roadmaps that even involved spinning Hangouts into allowing SMS functions, Google Messenger embarked to be a fine craft from the Mountain View giant.
That’s it for our list of some of the best messaging apps you can use to replace your boring stock one. We know a lot of other great ones that have not been included, so let us know what SMS app you think deserve to be in this Fast Five by using the comments section down below.
What about Handcent SMS?
Supported ba ng Textra ang emoji? Kasi sa default messaging app ng Samsung, nag coconvert sa MMS yung SMS pag nag iinsert ng emoji.
Supported. I use Textra and I can send SMS with emojis. ????
SwiftKey should be in the list.
GUYS TRY CHOMP SMS BASICALLY TEXTRA BUT WITH A WHOLE LOT FEATURES
I am using Handscent SMS. I love pop up style dialog box on while while the phone is lock you can still text.
bakit pareparehas ung style ng mga pinili nyong apps? you should list the texting apps that look different, or has special features like hoverchat
Most applications are implementing Google’s Material Design UI nowadays. That’s why we asked readers to suggest apps they can check out too.
ok sana ang textra at google messenger, kaso walang dual sim support. nag-CHOMP SMS na lang ako, sister app ng textra. masyadong bloated ang go sms e.
Google messenger has dual sim support. It is the default sms app in android one. Un gamit ko sa myphone uno ko.
Ok sana ang textra kaso may issue to sakin sa late arrival ng msgs. I used hover chat and im ok with ot. Try nyo hover chat, ok nman xa.
alin po jan ang my support for dual sim?
Go SMS Pro.
Someone mentioned Chomp now supports Dual-SIM. Maybe for Android 5.1 only. (See explanation above.)
Basically, if your phone is Android 5.1, expect Dual-SIM support from _all_ of these SMS apps in the coming weeks.
Chomp SMS has dual-sim support and is actually from Textra’s developer. I prefer this over the bloated Go SMS pro.
Seriously? Last I checked, it doesn’t have dual-sim support yet.
The thing with dual-sim is, it was a customization added by the manufacturers. Android version before 5.x doesn’t have dual-sim by default. Which makes it a challenging matter for SMS app devs.
Hmm… I’m going to check it again. But I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t support the units that I have.
Good news, regardless, Android 5.1 and up now supports Dual-SIM natively, so if our units can handle at least 5.1, we’ll be able to use Dual-SIM support from these apps (after they update it).
The thing is, pre-5.1, dual-sim is manufacturer-dependent. Now with 5.1 and up, there is now one method of implementation, making it easier to support it :)
That’s quick. It was recently added!
chompSMS Dual-SIM support!
Version 6.39
9 February 2015
Added support for more DUAL SIM devices.
If ‘Settings > SMS & MMS Settings > Dual SIM’ does not appear but your phone is a DUAL SIM one, then simply email us a debug log (Settings > About > Enable Debug) so we can subsequently add support for your device.
@JC John Sese Cuneta
Seryoso “That’s quick. It was recently added!”?
Kaylangan ka nag check 2 years ago?
Ginagawa mo lang astang marunong pero bobo sarili mo lol.
@qaz Nagbasa ka ba?
My first comment: March 15, 2015 at 9:45 am
Second comment: March 15, 2015 at 9:54 am — I updated myself, obviously.
Currently using Google’s messenger app… And its very fluid…
If only Textra has dual sim support, then I would not use that awful looking “green” sms app in Zenfone 5.. T_T
any messaging app that lets your back cam active and used as background so u can text while walking and still see where you’re going? that would be great..
Nagiisip ka ba? Kaya madaming nasasagasaan tao at nassnatch na cp eh dahil jan sa pagttxt habang ng lalakad…
textra is the best!
agree! sana magkaroon na rin sya ng dual sim support