Getting around the stock Android text messaging app is simple to do. You have your basic texting features that are enough for most people. However, some Android users may want more out of their smartphone texting experience. With that in mind, it’s important to know the best text messaging apps for Android devices.
It’s time to get the most out of your Android texting experience with the right app.
There’s nothing wrong with relying on the stock Android text messaging app. Still, if you want to send more than blocks of texts to your friends, families, and significant other, then using the right app is a must. Heading to the Google Play Store will only greet you with hundreds if not thousands of applications for sending texts. Scanning through and trying out each one is just an immense waste of time and effort (and sometimes even money).
So which app is the best?
Let’s be honest with ourselves before we move forward – there’s not a “best” messaging app for Android phones. Instead, there are plenty of excellent text messaging applications in the Google Play Store. Still, trying out these great choices can eat up a lot of your precious time. Instead of trying all of these apps, all you need to do is continue reading through this page. We’re going to show you a list of the top text messaging apps for your Android device.
1. Textra SMS
- Installs – 10,000,000+
- Size – 8.5 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.5/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
Download, install, and open the Textra app and you’ll greet your eyes (and Android phone) with one of the sleekest messaging apps you’ll find in the Google Play Store. There’s nothing about the user-interface that says “cluttered.” Just about everything about it is flawlessly-designed. It even has additional features to keep most power smartphone users happy.
Users can customize the design of the app from various theme colors, per-contact assignments, and notifications. With enough designing, you may even make the user interface look like the iMessage application found in iOS devices.
In fact, even if you don’t get the right colors, the entire user interface of Textra is highly similar to Apple’s stock text messaging application. Aside from its theme customization features, users can also schedule SMS, create quick replies, block numbers, and many more.
2. Handcent Next SMS(Free Messenger for texting, MMS)
- Installs – 1,000,000+
- Size – Varies with device
- Avg.Rating – 4.2/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
All it takes is a few minutes to setup Handcent Next SMS. Once properly installed, you can now take advantage of all the customization features it has on offer. It allows for a seamless personalized experience to create a fun and enjoyable texting environment for all Android users. It does, however, have a similar user interface to other messenger apps like WeChat or WhatsApp. Hence, if you’ve been using these other apps then you won’t feel lost when navigating through the features of Handcent Next SMS.
This text messaging application offers a slew of handy features. For instance, its clean interface allows users to move quickly between messages without clutter hindering you from having a flawless experience. You can also send festive e-cards or wish your loved ones a happy birthday with a customizable message complete with pictures.
3. mysms SMS Text Messaging Sync
- Installs – 1,000,000+
- Size – 8.4 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.3/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
Many smartphone users nowadays have multiple Android devices to keep up with their work or daily life. Instead of trying to import and export text messages from one phone to another (which is very daunting), all you need is to use the best text messaging apps for Android. With that in mind, one of the best apps to use for that purpose is mysms.
Head to the mysms Google Play Store page and you’ll see a gaggle of positive reviews from verified users. Not only is the app available for use in Android devices but you can also take advantage of its features for Mac and Windows PCs. You can even access your messages from a dedicated web page so you don’t have to reach for your phone charging at the far end of the room every time you hear an incoming text message.
However, not every feature available in the mysms is free. You need to pay a subscription fee of $9.99 USD per year to get the premium membership. However, if you’re serious about getting convenience when text messaging across multiple devices, then definitely consider unlocking all of its features.
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4. Signal Private Messenger
- Installs – 10,000,000+
- Size – 36 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.6/5
- Price – Free
Accessing the Internet is both a blessing and a curse for some people. Yes, the World Wide Web grants us the ability to keep in touch with people close to our hearts with the tap of a button, but it also puts our information at risk. Identity theft is now a big concern for many individuals that it’s essential to have the right security when sending messages.
Enter the Signal Private Messenger app; this Android application has features dedicated to users who require maximum security when sending messages. In fact, it’s so secure that you can’t even take screenshots of the app. All information shown in the mobile application takes advantage of end-to-end encryption protocols the moment you register a phone number.
5. EvolveSMS (Text Messaging)
- Installs – 1,000,000+
- Size – 9.5 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.0/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
Opening up the EvolveSMS app will greet you with a familiar interface. This Google-inspired text messaging application has a similar look-and-feel to Google’s Hangouts app. It comes feature-packed with support for multimedia messages (MMS). Smartwatch users rejoice as this SMS application also has support for a broad range of Android Wear devices.
There are some users, however, that might not like the default orange look of the app’s design. If so, then that’s not a problem as you can grab more themes from the application’s built-in theme shop. Do take note that not all themes are free and you may need to spend a few dollars to get the design you want.
Another great feature of the EvolveSMS app is swiping left and right to easily move between conversations. Hence, you no longer need to go back to the Home screen of the app just to select the next conversation.
6. BBM
- Installs – 100,000,000+
- Size – 47 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.3/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
There was a time when BlackBerry was the king of smartphones. Now that Android has taken the throne, does it mean that the popular BBM app also took a back seat to other SMS applications? For many smartphone users, BBM is still one of the best text messaging apps for Android phones.
Why?
There are many reasons why the BBM app is still the “King of SMS Apps” for many users despite it now living in Android devices instead of BlackBerry phones. It still carries most of the basics from the app’s old BlackBerry OS days like basic text messaging. However, now it adds real-time updates to its mix of features. You’ll immediately know when the application finishes delivering messages or when the other party reads the text.
You’ll also know when the recipient is starting to respond. Other features include free voice and video calls from the app along with plenty of stickers and emoticons. However, BBM does have ads which you can remove by paying a fee.
7. WhatsApp Messenger
- Installs – 1,000,000,000+
- Size – Varies with device
- Avg.Rating – 4.4/5
- Price – Free
If you know your text messaging apps, then you’ve already heard of WhatsApp. This Android application deserves a spot on this list for a number of reasons. First, it’s easy to set up and it won’t cost you a single cent to use its many features. Next, you can share other bits and pieces of information besides texts such as photos, documents, contacts, and even your current location.
Aside from the traditional SMS conversations, WhatsApp users can also make video and voice calls. Once again, all these features are completely free to use. Keep in mind that installing it does require you grant permission to your contacts to automatically populate your contact list. Lastly, this SMS application also makes use of end-to-end encryption for an additional layer of privacy and security when making conversations.
8. Messenger – Text and Video Chat for Free
- Installs – 1,000,000,000+
- Size – Varies with device
- Avg.Rating – 4.1/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
There was a time when the Facebook Messenger app only allows you to send and receive messages from people within the social media network. However, the app (and the social network behind it) significantly grew over the years. Now, you can even send and receive text messages from the Messenger app to people found in your phone’s contact list.
Letting this particular app access your phone’s contacts will automatically populate the app with the contact list from your Android smartphone. Using the Messenger application to send text messages also grants you access to use its slew of stickers and GIFs. You can also make and receive voice calls (for free if done in a Wi-Fi network).
One additional and a great feature of this app that revolutionized chatting and text messaging is the use of “Chat Heads.” These floating bubbles will hover over any other app on your smartphone so you no longer have to switch between applications just to make and send a reply.
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9. LINE: Free Calls & Messages
- Installs – 500,000,000+
- Size – Varies with device
- Avg.Rating – 4.2/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
If you’re looking for new people to converse with, then you may want to use the LINE app. This Android application is so popular that it already garnered over 600 million users and most of them are in Asia. Aside from the traditional text messaging features, you’ll also get a chat timeline which strikes a similar resemblance to Facebook.
In other words, you can create posts and let your friends comment on them. Users can also create and receive landline calls, and there’s also a free “Line-to-Line” video calling feature. Like Facebook, you can also use a broad range of Line stickers which some of them requires purchase with real cash.
You can also join group chats that can cater up to 200 Line participants. Finally, this SMS app also has support for encrypted conversations if you desire to use that feature. Download and install Line and you’ll see why it’s one of the best text messaging apps for Android.
10. Hangouts
- Installs – 1,000,000,000+
- Size – Varies with device
- Avg.Rating – 4.0/5
- Price – Free
Unlike other stock Android applications, the Google Hangouts app requires you to go to the Google Play Store before you can use it. Despite the short detour, all your conversations are synced throughout all devices. Hence, if you start a conversation using the Hangouts Android app, you can pick up the discussion in your PC.
Since this application is a Google-owned app, needless to say, it requires a Google account. The signup process is simple, and completing the registration process presents you with many different chatting features. Using Google Hangouts allows you to take advantage of sharing texts, photos, GIFs, and video calls. Users can also create and join group calls with other participants who have Google accounts.
Bear in mind the items in this list aren’t the only best text messaging apps for Android devices. However, these 10 mobile applications are our top picks to help make your texting and chatting life easier. Using at least one of these apps will grant you access to tons of features for better chatting experiences. In fact, sending stickers and GIFs is only the tip of the iceberg.