The Best SMS Text Messaging Apps for Android

Although SMS remains the only way to be sure of reaching anyone with a mobile number, in any country, very few apps currently support it. That’s partly due to the age of the protocol, and partly to advancements by WhatsApp and other messaging apps.

The latest Android app to drop SMS support is Signal (iOS apps were never allowed access to SMS, of course). The developers say it “no longer makes sense” to have an SMS component in the app. Signal reasons that it’s less secure than newer messaging standards, may attract extra data bills, and can confuse users.

Many people do still use SMS, however, not least to communicate with friends and family who may not have the same messaging apps installed or who are on a different mobile operating system. If you need texting on Android, here are your options.

The default messaging app on Pixel ...